Las Vegas Aces superstar and reigning WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson is facing potential league discipline ahead of Game 3 of the playoffs due in large part to a confrontation with an Indiana Fever fan in Game 2.
Wilson got into a shouting match with a fan during the game and received a technical foul for doing so. Afterwards she seemed to blame the fan for provoking her.
“With the baseline situation,I don’t know if you guys know me, but I don’t really get into the bullsht,” Wilson said. “I try to play my game, keep it pushing. But if I’m just walking because I just got the foul, I’m chilling, and if I see a man come at me, taking steps towards me and pointing at me, I don’t give a damn what you said. I don’t give a damn how you said it, the tone. That is unacceptable. You don’t step towards me. You never should step and point at me. I’m not for that (expletive). At all. Excuse my French. And God bless me.
“But that there is unacceptable. And how he gets back in the game because they said he didn’t do anything. Of course he didn’t. And that’s fine. And I apologize to my team because I got us a tech. But it’s just certain things that I’m just not going to allow anymore because it’s just unacceptable. So you don’t know me at all to come and step towards me and point at me and say anything out your mouth to me.”
Stephen A. Smith was not amused
On Wednesday’s edition of First Take, ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith said that he feels Wilson overreacted. He said that a fan “standing up and pointing at you is not a crime” and doesn’t see why Wilson got so heated over the whole thing.
“It looks like an overreaction. When you tangle with another player, a fan standing up and pointing at you is not a crime. He’s a fan… Respectfully, what did he do? I don’t get it,” Smith said.
The fan was ultimately not removed from the game as the Indiana Fever found that the fan had not violated the Fan Code of Conduct:
“Following a report of a comment directed toward a player, arena security spoke with the fan involved and witnesses,” the team said in a statement after the game. “Security determined there was no violation of the Fan Code of Conduct; the fan was not removed from the arena. We consider the matter closed.”
© Jerome Miron-Imagn Images.
Fans largely seemed to agree that the fan didn’t do or even say anything egregious and that Wilson made a mountain out of a molehill.
Hopefully she’s able to keep her head in the game because her team faces a series-deciding Game 3 at home tomorrow night.
