Val Whiting, a former WNBA player, recently brought attention to racist messages received by Angel Reese’s mother from supporters of Caitlin Clark, shedding light on the mistreatment faced by the Chicago Sky rookie.
Whiting took to X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday to share screenshots she received from Reese’s mother.
The messages, directed at Whiting and her 22-year-old daughter, highlighted the racial hostility faced by Reese.
“I believe Angel Reese receives more racially motivated hate than any other player in the league,” Whiting stated in her tweet, referencing one message from a man identified as William Martina.
Martina, using his real name and email address, criticized Reese and her foundation in disparaging terms.
“Sorry but you can’t dress up as anything but you are what you are. thug comes to mind..,go Caitlin,” Martina’s message read.
Another message Whiting shared expressed support for Clark while denigrating Reese, using derogatory language and racially charged insults.
“Black bh you disgust me with your silly jealous antics let your daughter shine and [stop] teaching her to be jealous to get attention! Stop being a black ratchet gutter bh s black women look bad and stop talking about cc she got that swag she changing the game be glad your daughter got a chance to even play in the W!! Cuz if it wasn’t for cc nobody would know your low gpa having daughter,” the message stated.
Whiting further revealed that William Martina holds a significant professional position, adding context to his actions in racial harassment.
“William Martina is the president of a company yet he took time to racially bully and harass a young black woman,” Whiting condemned. “Angel’s mom said that they get these type of emails and text messages every week.”
In a subsequent tweet, Whiting acknowledged that Clark has also faced racial comments, but highligted the severity of the attacks against Reese throughout her basketball career.
“This post is about the extreme nature of what Angel Reese goes through,” Whiting clarified.
The post elicited a range of responses from X users, reflecting on the treatment of both players in the WNBA community.
Earlier this month, both Reese and Clark were selected as teammates for the WNBA All-Star Game in Phoenix on July 20, where they will represent Team WNBA against the U.S. Women’s Basketball Team.
