Angel Reese: Sky Player Harassed at Hotel amid Caitlin Clark-Chennedy Carter Incident

Julia StumbaughJune 6, 2024

Melissa Tamez/ Icon Sportswire

Chicago Sky players say they were “harassed” Wednesday night outside a Washington D.C. hotel by a man who “specifically was targeting guard Chennedy Carter,” Annie Costabile reported for the Chicago Sun-Times.

The incident follows a highly publicized flagrant foul committed Saturday by Carter on Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark.

Sky players, including Angel Reese, Isabelle Harrison and Michaela Onyenwere, first described the incident in posts on X.

Reese said Wednesday that someone put a camera “in my teammates face,” while Harrison said she “couldn’t even step off the bus.”

Angel Reese @Reese10Angelfinding out our teams hotel to pull with a camera as we get off the bus and put it in my teammates face & HARASS her is NASTY WORK. this really is outta control and needs to STOP.

Isabelle Harrison @OMG_itsizzybWOW!!! Thank GOD for security. My teammate being harassed at our hotel is insane! Couldn’t even step off the bus!!!

Michaela Onyenwere @monyenwere_Getting harassed at our hotel is where the line needs to be drawn. Some “fans” have NO CHILLLLL 🤮

Onyenwere credited team security for doing “a great job of de-escalating the situation.”

Michaela Onyenwere @monyenwere_We have security, and they did a great job of de-escalating the situation/protecting us. It’s still extremely weird & crosses the boundaries meeting us right when we get off the bus. https://t.co/HZZ60ytx3E

Sky general manager Jeff Pagliocca said the police were not called, Costabile reported.

“It was over as fast as it started,” Pagliocca said, per Costabile. “I’m very confident in our security always making our players feel safe. Today was a great example of how critical they are to our team.”

The Sky’s Brianna Turner wasn’t present but posted her thoughts on X:

Brianna Turner @_Breezy_BriiiYes we (thankfully) travel with security, but the absurd headlines recently has certainly created an unstable environment for our safety. I’ve been called every racial slur imaginable lately and my teammates have had it even worse.

Brianna Turner @_Breezy_BriiiIt’s troubling to even speak out on bc I know half the responses will be filled with slurs and making excuses for unacceptable behavior. I know we all have different values and outlooks, but the discourse as of late is disingenuous to say the least.

During a 71-70 loss to the Fever Saturday in Indianapolis, Carter checked Clark to the court. She was retroactively assessed a flagrant-1 foul for the contact.

The incident resulted in national media attention on the Sky and Carter, who received applause from the Chicago home crowd during a Tuesday game against the New York Liberty.

“It felt good just to know that Sky Town supports me,” Carter said after the 88-75 loss (h/t the New York Post’s Jaclyn Hendricks.) “The fans got loud and that ultimately just got me going, it gave me confidence. Soon as I came in, they gave me confidence, so I started feeling it. I’m like, ‘Okay, the crowd is with you, your team is with you, let’s go.'”

The Sky are on the road for a Thursday night game against the Washington Mystics.