Jun 24, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Atlanta Dream center Brittney Griner (42) reacts against the Dallas Wings during the first half at College Park Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images Chris Jones-Imagn Images

Brittney Griner Wants WNBA to Stop Personal 'Attacks' From Fans During Games

Originally posted on Women's Fastbreak on SI
By Grant Young | Last updated Jul 21, 2025 4:13 PM ET

The WNBA has a spotlight on it right now, given the clear statement that the 2025 All-Stars made during the July 19 All-Star Game in Indianapolis, Indiana, by warming up for the game while wearing shirts that said, "Pay Us What You Owe Us" on them.

These shirts were a direct message to the league itself, as the players are currently negotiating for increased salaries and a bigger revenue share for the next Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), which will be instituted (if agreed upon) before the 2026 season.

WNBA all stars wearing a "Pay us what you owe us" shirt in warmups pic.twitter.com/jIj2W6N6kw
— CJ Fogler (@cjzero) July 20, 2025

The players making more money is just one of the places where the sport of women's basketball can grow. And WNBA legend Brittney Griner pointed out another area where she wants the league to improve during a July 18 appearance on Cam Newton's Funky Friday Podcast.

"There's times in games where I've talked with some of my fellow people that play in the league, and there's certain places where it's like, 'What's going on here?' This ain't even banter," Griner said of some WNBA fans when speaking to Newton.

"You not even going against me as a fan, you going against me on a personal level. These are attacks," she added of these fans. "The slurs that are said in certain gyms are stuff, around the league, there's just no place for it."

Griner noted that she'd like the WNBA to address this problem by placing workers in the stands who are listening to what's being said, so they can pinpoint and eject these "fans" when they see or hear something out of line.

While Griner didn't specify which fan bases she's alluding to, the bottom line is that this behavior is unacceptable and takes away from the game's positive growth.

This article first appeared on Women's Fastbreak on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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