The Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) has scheduled a meeting with WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert ahead of the 2026 All-Star Game to address safety as players continue to speak out about being subjected to racial abuse and online harassment.
Chicago Sky center Elizabeth Williams, who serves as the WNBPA’s secretary, confirmed the meeting to Front Office Sports on Wednesday, July 15, ahead of the Sky’s win over the Seattle Storm.
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“There’s going to be a conversation with player leadership and Cathy (Engelbert) coming up,” Williams said. “So I think hopefully from that we get more tangible steps and making sure that we’re not always on the back end of these things and we continue to do things ahead of time … (the league) is being a little too reactive.”
USA TODAY Sports reached out to the WNBPA and WNBA for comment.
More: Aces’ Chelsea Gray hopes people ‘think twice’ after man who sent slur was fired
Natasha Cloud told Front Office Sports receiving racist, homophobic and hateful messages has unfortunately become the new “normal” for players in the league. Chelsea Gray, Alyssa Thomas, Kahleah Copper and Courtney Williams are among players that have publicly called out online harassment they’ve received.
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Thomas said she was on the receiving end of death threats and racial slurs after serving a one-game suspension for an on-court incident with Caitlin Clark on June 24. Courtney Williams shared a homophobic audio message she received from a disgruntled sports bettor after the Lynx’s win over the New York Liberty on July 11. Gray shared a screenshot of a man calling her a racial slur following the Aces’ loss to the Fever on July 19.
“The hate directed at me and so many other Black athletes is one of the many ways systemic racism shows up in our lives,” Gray wrote in a social media post shared on Wednesday afternoon. “But as athletes, there is real power in calling it out and naming it, and we have a real opportunity to create change collectively when we do so.”
Following Thomas’ comments, Engelbert released a statement that said the league “vehemently condemns any and all forms of hate.” After Gray came forward the following month, the league issued another statement that said it “unequivocally condemn racism and all forms of hate.”
However, some players believe the league has been reactive rather than responsive in finding meaningful ways to prevent the abuse. The WNBA unveiled the “No Space For Hate” platform ahead of the 2025 season, “a multi-dimensional platform designed to combat hate and promote respect across all WNBA spaces — from online discourse to in-arena behavior,” the league described. But it hasn’t solved the issue as “some things get through,” Williams told FOS.
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“At some point the league needs to put a stand on it. They came out the no hate speech, but I mean, what is that going to do?” Thomas told USA TODAY on June 30. “Time and time again, players are going through this and the league remains silent, so I’m sick and tired of it and it’s time for them to step up and have our backs.”
Cloud added on Wednesday, “As our league continues to grow and get bigger, that fan base gets bigger. I think our messages have gotten worse, but yeah, this is a typical day for a WNBA player, any professional athlete. I’m called an (expletive), I’m called a (racial slur), I’m called everything under the sun. I’ve been told that they hope that our plane crashes on the way home.”
Players have started to take matters into their own hands by exposing these hateful comments, to not only hold those responsible accountable, but also to share concrete proof that cannot be ignored. After Gray shared a screenshot of a man calling her a racial slur on Monday, the Hilton Grand Vacations employee was quickly identified by fans and subsequently fired by the hotel chain for violating company policies the next day.
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Gray said it was “really cool” to see everyone rally her around her in a positive way and hopes “people will think twice now” before spreading hate. She added “moments like this remind me of how much strength there is in people coming together.”
Cloud and Williams shared the same sentiments.
“I’m also glad that the internet kind of did its thing and he got fired,” Williams told FOS. “Freedom of speech isn’t freedom from consequence. So I hope that people understand that and are more thoughtful in what they post online.”
Cloud also told the outlet, “I’m happy that Chelsea put it out there. I think as one of the main faces of our league, too, it creates a dialogue that needs to be had. It puts pressure on Cathy (Englebert), who we’ve been begging to step up for us in these spaces. And now I think it demands her to actually take some initiative and to do something about it.”
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Reach USA TODAY National Women’s Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson at chenderson@gannett.com and follow her on X at @CydHenderson.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: WNBA All-Stars to meet with commissioner Cathy Engelbert about online abuse
