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Days after Chelsea Gray exposed a racist message from an apparent sports bettor, WNBA veteran Natasha Cloud said the abuse is far from an isolated incident.
Speaking to Front Office Sports on Wednesday, the Chicago Sky guard said it’s become “normal” for players to receive hateful messages from angry sports bettors after every game.
“I’m called a bitch, I’m called a n*****, I’m called everything under the sun. I’ve been told that they hope that our plane crashes on the way home,” Cloud, a 12-year WNBA veteran, said ahead of the Sky’s game against the Seattle Storm.
Cloud praised Gray, a six-time All-Star and Finals MVP, for going public, saying it may help urge commissioner Cathy Engelbert to prioritize player safety.
“I think as one of the main faces of our league, too, it creates a dialogue that needs to be had. It puts pressure on Cathy, who we’ve been begging to step up for us in these spaces,” Cloud said.
“Now I think it demands her to actually take some initiative and to do something about it. I don’t know what it is that she’s going to do, but I also think that simple statements of not condoning shit is also really good for public relations as well.”
Cloud recognized that athletes across all sports face the same issue and pointed to NBA commissioner Adam Silver as a leader who also needs to push for change.
“We got NBA players being followed out in public because of not hitting parlays,” Cloud said. “I get that it’s really great for our league. It’s great for the business that is the NBA and the WNBA, and it helps expand. But at the end of the day, your job, your first priority is on the protection of the players, the protection of your investment into your players, and the safety surrounding the players.
“So for both Adam and Cathy, there still has to be dialogue around this as our leagues continue to expand and as we continue to navigate what this betting world is. ’Cause we want to be in it; it’s great for our league, but also within it, we have to be protected as human beings when we take these jerseys off.”
Elizabeth Williams, Cloud’s teammate who also serves as WNBPA secretary, told FOS that player leadership has scheduled a meeting with Engelbert ahead of WNBA All-Star weekend next week, when one of the priorities will be addressing player security.
“Hopefully from that, we get more tangible steps in making sure that we’re not always on the back end of these things. And we continue to do things ahead of time,” Williams said.
A union source confirmed a meeting has been scheduled between players and the league. The players requested the meeting, though their request came before Gray’s post earlier this week. The WNBA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The meeting request also came before Phoenix Mercury star Alyssa Thomas called out Engelbert late last month after she received threats following an on-court incident with Caitlin Clark.
“The biggest thing is about our safety,” Thomas said. “We’re so concerned about the safety on the court, but time and time again, we’re having people threatening our lives. Leaking addresses out there. Putting crazy pictures that have nothing to do with basketball.”
Online harassment against women’s basketball players has been prevalent even before sports betting was widely legalized in the U.S. in 2018. But Cloud said the hate has “increased crazy” over the last few years due to sports betting.
Los Angeles Sparks forward Dearica Hamby and Minnesota Lynx guard Courtney Williams have also responded to angry sports bettors in recent weeks.
Elizabeth Williams told FOS she feels sports betting has become an avenue for racists to express their anger.
“I think it’s just exposed it a little bit more because the hate’s always been there,” Elizabeth Williams said Wednesday. “I think people are kind of hiding behind sports betting and using it as an excuse when in reality, they were probably racist before and just needed a reason to try to act like they weren’t.”
The WNBA has taken steps to address overall hate toward players. In 2025, the league created the “No Space for Hate” campaign, which provides technology and resources for players.
Elizabeth Williams said much of the hate she receives online is “filtered out” because she uses apps that shield from social media abuse. But she said she still thinks the WNBA has been too “reactive” to issues surrounding online hate and player safety.
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