Chicago Sky forward Brianna Turner called out WNBA fans and the media for their apparent harassment of Angel Reese and the team on Wednesday.

For those who missed it, Reese took to X (formerly Twitter) to share their frightening experience after the Sky’s team bus arrived in their hotel in Washington. Apparently, some people were waiting for them and immediately put a camera on their face and harassed the team as they were getting off the vehicle.

“Finding out our teams hotel to pull with a camera as we get off the bus and put it in my teammates face & HARASS her is NASTY WORK. this really is outta control and needs to STOP,” Reese revealed.

Turner quickly came to the defense of Reese and the Sky and called out those fans and media personnel who don’t know how to respect boundaries.

Jun 4, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese (5) reacts after being ejected from her team’s WNBA game against the New York Liberty during the second half at Wintrust Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports © Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

While Turner admitted she was not present when the incident happened, she emphasized that the event–based on the story she has heard from her Chicago teammates–is unacceptable.

“I wasn’t present for the interaction from earlier, but what occurred isn’t acceptable. Didn’t realize that when we said ‘grow the game’ that would be interpreted as harassing players at hotels. You are free to have your own opinion but consider if this happened to someone u know,” Turner said.

The Sky vet then went on to share her own experience, adding that she has been subjected to racial slurs amid the increasing popularity of the team and the league.

“Yes we (thankfully) travel with security, but the absurd headlines recently has certainly created an unstable environment for our safety. I’ve been called every racial slur imaginable lately and my teammates have had it even worse,” she furthered.

Turner also called out those so-called “fans” who are not really supporting the game but rather only trying to divide them with sensationalized narratives.

“No. I will not accept racism as “part of the game”. No I’m not sensitive. And no I won’t simply ignore the ignorant takes I’ve seen. The majority of you commenting could care less about the success of the WNBA and are only concerned with division,” Turner said.

Hopefully the WNBA will take swift action to address the issue. Granted that the league is getting popular now and players are more recognizable, but at the end of the day, player safety remains important and should be prioritized.