In late May 2025, viral social media posts claimed Atlanta Dream star Brittney Griner faced a two-game suspension and a $150,000 fine as the WNBA investigated "racist comments" the women's basketball player allegedly made toward Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark.
The rumor spread days after former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines and other people online shared claims that a frustrated Griner appeared to call Clark "trash" and a "f****** white girl" after fouling out of a game on May 22, 2025.
One post from user @ThrillaRilla369 on X (archived) sharing the claim about a WNBA investigation into Griner's alleged comments had garnered more than 4 million views and over 50,000 likes as of this writing. The post shared on May 30, 2025, read:
BRITTNEY GRINER is facing a two-game suspension and a $150.000 fine as the WNBA investigates allegations she made racist comments toward Catlin Clark.
The same claim was shared in posts on Facebook around the same time. Snopes readers also asked if the claim about Griner was true.
There's no proof that Griner made racist comments toward Clark or that the WNBA was investigating the allegations. Snopes reached out to the WNBA and the Atlanta Dream, and is awaiting responses.
Since we were not able to definitively confirm or disprove the rumors, we have not put a truth rating on this claim.
How unproven claim about racist comments began
The claim about Griner allegedly making "racist comments" toward Clark appears to have originated from Gaines' X post on May 23, 2025 (archived). The post read:
Brittney Griner appeared to call Caitlin Clark "trash" and a "f***ing white girl" after fouling out last night. Just a reminder: this is who we traded for the Russian Merchant of Death. Now imagine if Clark had said the inverse.
Other people on X shared the same claim in the days after Gaines' post.
But there's no proof Griner actually made these comments. Gaines attached a video of Griner to her post, but it doesn't include any audio of her speaking. Instead, there is voiceover from a commentator over video of Griner. For that reason, we can't confirm with any certainty what Griner actually said in the video clip.
In a post on X on May 24 (archived), sports journalist Jemele Hill refuted Gaines' claims about Griner. Hill wrote in part that the foul call made on Griner "had nothing to do with Clark," and that Griner clearly says "trash" and f------ wack call," rather than the comments Gaines accused Griner of making.
Snopes reached out to Gaines for further comment and is awaiting a response.
Claim about WNBA investigation into alleged racist comments unsubstantiated
The claim about Griner facing a two-game suspension and $150,000 fine amid a WNBA investigation into alleged "racist comments" was also unsubstantiated.
Searches on Google, Bing and Yahoo! did not return any reports from reputable news outlets about such an investigation. Snopes also searched the WNBA website, as well as the league's Facebook, Instagram and X accounts, and did not find any mention of an investigation into the alleged comments.
The WNBA and Griner's team, the Atlanta Dream, have not responded to Snopes' requests for comment about the claims. Snopes is also awaiting a response from
NBA Evolution, one of the Facebook accounts that shared the claim about Griner's alleged comments, linked out to an article published by autulu.com with a headline that read, "BREAKING NEWS: Brittney Griner Faces SUSPENSION After RAC*ST Remark To Caitlin Clark – THIS IS BAD!" However, the body of the article does not include any confirmation of a WNBA investigation that could lead to Griner's suspension.
The website also has a reputation for publishing false information. Media Bias/Fact Check, an online resource that evaluates news sources' bias and credibility, rates autulu.com as "very low for factual reporting due to its publication of fabricated, clickbait stories involving public figures, lack of transparency, and documented false claims."