“Unserious league.”
That’s what fans are saying after the WNBA ruled against punishing Las Vegas Aces star forward A’ja Wilson for her interaction with a fan late in the fourth quarter of Game 2 in Indiana on Tuesday night. Wilson, bothered by a fan pointing at her following a foul call, went into the stands and confronted the fan. The fan was not ejected, as he was not found to be in violation of any league rules.
Wilson was hit with a technical foul, though according to the WNBA’s rulebook, she probably should have been ejected and, potentially, suspended for Game 3. NBA players have previously been suspended or fined for entering the stands or leaving the bench area during games.
But the WNBA is deciding to not issue any further punishment to Wilson.
Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images.
Annie Costabile of The Athletic broke the news on Thursday afternoon, hours before tipoff in Las Vegas.
“The WNBA has determined there will be no fine or penalty handed down to A’ja Wilson or any other Aces players following Tuesday’s Game 2 interaction with a fan, a league source tells The Athletic,” she reported.
The league reportedly took several things into account in making the decision.
“According to a league source who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not permitted to speak publicly on the matter, following an in-game review, the on-court game officials determined that A’ja Wilson was in the court area – what is known as a player escape lane – adjacent to the stanchion rather than the stands. Based on that determination, officials decided there was no cause for an ejection. Aces players Kalani Brown and Kierstan Bell, who left the bench during the incident, also won’t face repercussions, according to the source,” she reported.
“The league considered the intensity of the playoffs and plans to stress safety to its players.”
Fans are questioning the decision, though
Fans are questioning if this was the right decision.
“Well there you have it folks. The WNBA is turning a blind eye to the rule book… AGAIN. No punishment for A’ja Wilson who clearly went into the stands and verbally assaulted a fan. And no punishment for any other Aces players who left the bench,” one fan wrote.
“Unserious league,” one fan added.
“No accountability. No surprise. Biggie vs 3Pac is on like Donkey Kong!” Jason Whitlock shared.
“Did anyone expect anything different from this unserious league?” another fan added.
“If anybody is surprised by this, I can turn your $100 into $1000 in 15 minutes. If Adam Silver wanted to, he could’ve intervened. I keep saying, whoever the new commissioner is, will be just as bad as Cathy, there are bad decision makers all around the NBA & WNBA,” one fan added.
Game 3 is set to tip off at 9 p.m. E.T.
