Brittney Griner has finally spoken out about the fiery moment that had social media buzzing during a WNBA match between the Atlanta Dream and the Indiana Fever on 22 May. The drama kicked off after Griner fouled out in a tense encounter with Caitlin Clark, with fans online accusing her of hurling a racial slur at the rising star.
Lip readers on social media were quick to claim Griner said “f-cking white girl” as she vented her frustration from the bench, but the three-time Olympic gold medallist has now responded, firmly denying she used those words.
“I remember fouling out, being mad,” she told Outkick’s Dan Zaksheske on Sunday. “I really can’t remember what I said, honestly.” When pushed on whether she might have actually made the remark in question, she replied, “I know it wasn’t that because I wouldn’t use that type of language.”
Zaksheske even offered to show her a video of the moment to jog her memory, but Griner didn’t seem keen on revisiting the footage, saying it wouldn’t help her figure out what she actually said in that heated moment.
Her comments haven’t exactly smoothed things over. Critics flooded social media demanding an apology and questioning her honesty. “Well as long as she doesn’t remember saying it I guess there’s nothing to see here folks,” one person wrote on X. Another added, “Referring to her in derogatory terms is unprofessional and unacceptable.”
Some went even further, accusing Griner of “playing the race card” and calling on the WNBA to look into the matter properly. One user claimed, “The @WNBA is fine with players being racist. As long as it’s racism against white people.”
However, not everyone is convinced she said what people think she did. Some fans have analysed the video and pointed out that her lips don’t appear to match up with the alleged slur. “Lips don’t quite match up to saying ‘White’ at all. Particularly, there doesn’t appear to be any ‘T’ enunciation. And she definitely didn’t say ‘Girl,’” one person wrote. Another argued she was actually shouting about a “f-cking wack call” after being penalised for the sixth time.
Griner, of course, isn’t new to controversy. She missed the entire 2022 WNBA season after being detained in Russia for nearly 10 months over cannabis oil cartridges found in her luggage. She was eventually released in a high-profile prisoner swap.
This latest saga also sparked complaints about media access. Earlier in June, Outkick founder Clay Travis claimed the WNBA had blocked his outlet from getting credentials to cover Griner, apparently to avoid questions about the viral video. That restriction seems to have been lifted, with Griner now publicly addressing the incident.
Meanwhile, Caitlin Clark has been making headlines for all the right reasons. She bounced back in style during the Indiana Fever’s game against the New York Liberty on Saturday, scoring a massive 32 points and leading her team to a 102-88 victory, reported the New York Post. It was a standout performance from the rookie, who had missed the previous five games with a quad strain.
“I’m out there to win and give everything I have for this team,” Clark told reporters before the game — and she absolutely delivered.