Last Wednesday, several Chicago Sky players claimed that they were harassed getting off the bus at a hotel in Washington, D.C. Members of the team took to social media to engage in hysteria and seek instant victimization status by whining about what happened. Based on what the players claimed and what team executives said, there was an extremely aggressive interaction and exchange between players and someone with a camera.
Yet, just like actor Jussie Smollett’s claim of a hate crime committed against him, ironically in Chicago, a video of the exchange between a Chicago Sky player and the person in question who recorded the incident refuted such claims and showed a different story. WNBA players from the Chicago Sky just had their very own Jussie Smollett moment.
Given the speed at which the story’s facts kept changing, I exercised restraint and waited a couple of days to write anything in case more evidence came to light about what happened. I wanted to be thorough in my assessment and not rush to judgment in case there were other breaking developments. However, no other details or evidence have emerged since then. As such, everything the Sky players said about what transpired was a gross exaggeration and misrepresentation of what happened.
Based on all the evidence available, it appears the Chicago Sky players suffered a Jussie Smollett moment, not harassment, while getting off their bus in Washington, D.C. Consider these social media posts from the players describing what happened.
“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,” controversial player Angel Reese posted. “This really is outta control and needs to STOP.”
Another Sky player, Isabelle Harrison, claimed that the person with the camera was so aggressive that the team couldn’t get off the bus.
“WOW!!! Thank GOD for security,” Harrison posted. “My teammate being harassed at our hotel is insane! Couldn’t even step off the bus!!!”
Michaela Onyenwere was another Sky player who joined the fray and added her own contribution to the sensationalized and melodramatic assertion.
“Getting harassed at our hotel is where the line needs to be drawn,” Onyenwere posted. “Some ‘fans’ have NO CHILLLLL.”
“We have security, and they did a great job of de-escalating the situation/protecting us,” she added. “It’s still extremely weird & crosses the boundaries meeting us right when we get off the bus.”
After these social media posts, a video surfaced of what happened. It can be viewed here, and it shows that there was no threat to the Sky players. One man, about ten feet away, asked player Chennedy Carter questions as she exited the bus and walked to the team’s hotel. The assertions of harassment were akin to Smollett’s claim of being attacked by two white men wearing MAGA hats.
Furthermore, while Harrison claimed the team “couldn’t step off the bus,” the video showed the person who the players said harassed them was (what looked like) 20 yards from the team bus. He also was very polite when asking questions.
The fallout from this should be quite consequential. However, the WNBA seems unlikely to publicly address the situation, and the players don’t appear to be willing to endure any accountability for their frivolous claims. It’s unfortunate because their misrepresentation warrants some form of disciplinary resolution. They portrayed a false scenario to manufacture outrage and sympathy. Their sins should not go unchecked.
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People showing up at team hotels is not a recent phenomenon (well, maybe it is for WNBA players). No one was harassed, nor did any of the players need “protecting.” They misrepresented facts so they could appear as victims, manipulate the story’s attention, and try to gain sympathy. Their claims were so egregious it could legitimately be argued that the team should change its name from the Chicago Sky to the Chicago Jussie Smolletts.
At worst, the Sky players lied about what happened. At best, it was an embellishment. Either way, it shouldn’t have ever happened, and for the league to brush it under a mat, like nothing happened, further enables this divisive and harmful behavior. Jussie Smollett was held accountable for his misrepresentations, so too should the Sky players.