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Aces' A'ja Wilson sounds off on fan incident in Game 2 loss to Fever
Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Aces' A'ja Wilson sounds off on fan incident in Game 2 loss to Fever

Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis remains one of the WNBA's most raucous arenas. Sometimes it's a little too raucous.

The No. 6-seeded Indiana Fever hosted the No. 3-seeded Las Vegas Aces in Game 2 of their best-of-three first-round playoff series on Tuesday night. Things nearly escalated out of control midway through the fourth quarter when Aces center A'ja Wilson and a fan exchanged words. 

A'ja Wilson sounds off on fan incident 

Wilson and Fever guard Sophie Cunningham tangled at the top of the key while the Aces trailed 90-79 in the fourth quarter. She then shoved the guard to the ground. 

As Wilson walked toward the baseline, she pointed at a fan. The center was assessed a technical foul. Following the 99-89 Aces loss, the four-time league MVP explained she engaged with the spectator because she felt threatened. 

"If I see a man come at me, taking steps towards me and pointing at me ... I don't give a d— what you said," Wilson told the media. "It's unacceptable."

Aces head coach Becky Hammon backed Wilson after the game, noting she felt "very disrespected" during the incident. 

"I didn't see exactly what happened," the coach said (h/t The Athletic's James Boyd). "I kind of saw the aftermath. I've never seen A'ja Wilson go like that. ...Whatever it was, it doesn't have any place, I don't think, in an arena."

Players must keep their cool, but that's more challenging in an environment some would consider hostile. During the broadcast, Prime Video analyst LaChina Robinson mentioned this isn't the first fan incident at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. 

"This is really unfortunate, and I feel like this happened here several times in Indiana," Robinson said (h/t Awful Announcing's Drew Lerner). "The intensity of the game is enough, and then to have to hear things from the crowd and fans that should not- that don't have the right to impact the game at this point and the emotions of these players."

The fan involved in this latest incident won't be punished. In a statement shared by Boyd, the Fever said their security team found no violation of the code of conduct. 

The Fever will head back to Vegas for Game 3 on Thursday (USA Network, CNBC, 9 p.m. ET). If Indiana pulls off the upset, it would host its next playoff game against the No. 2-seeded Golden State Valkyries or No. 7-seeded Dallas Wings. Golden State leads the series 1-0. 

The WNBA hopes there are no more incidents between Fever fans and star players if they advance to the next round. It would be another bad look for the league in a season that has already generated enough negative publicity.  

Clark Dalton

Clark Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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