Ever since the WNBA was announced as the fastest-growing product in the nation in 2024, the league has only continued to become more visible. But with that success came a dark reality that wasn’t as public before. Just take Minnesota Lynx’s Courtney Williams, for instance.

After a consistent performance, she had a tough outing against the Phoenix Mercury in July. But having bet on her, someone got so angry at her that they thought it was appropriate to leave a provocative voicemail on her Instagram DMs. Instead of ignoring it, Williams not only responded to the person, but she also made the exchange public. Honestly, that was needed, because Las Vegas Aces’ Chelsea Gray was also in a similar situation. And they weren’t the only ones. As I said, the growth has brought some growing pains. So much so that the now-retired player and the WNBPA President, Nneka Ogwumike, has shed light on a brutal reality of what all this has meant for the players.

“It’s not a safe place for athletes, I have to say,” Nneka said in an Instagram video by Fortune Magazine. “I do understand the business of things and being able to contribute to a growing league. But unfortunately, in what I like to call growing pains, players are definitely having a hard time dealing with the vitriol that comes with prediction markets as it relates to our performance.

“There’s been a lot of safety issues and concerns that haven’t necessarily been publicly displayed. But through the PA and through the WNBA, there are a lot of resources that are available to try and mitigate those things. But it doesn’t mean that it stops players from experiencing things that could potentially, and have potentially affected, their performance.”

Back in July, Las Vegas Aces star Chelsea Gray posted about a user on her Instagram story who sent her racist abuse following a loss to the Indiana Fever.

The Instagram user’s bio said “sports betting,” per Front Office Sports, leading to the widespread belief that the user lost a bet before he hurled online abuse at Gray. The user was later fired by his place of employment. Another player, Natasha Could, has also experienced the brunt of it.

“I’m called a b—-, 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,” Chicago Sky guard Cloud told Front Office Sports in July.

In fact, the 12-year veteran also mentioned that it has become “normal” for players to receive hateful messages from angry sports bettors after every game. 

Meanwhile, Williams responded to the fan in a humorous voice note, but the underlying issue was much larger, with fans rushing to hurl abuse at players as soon as a parlay fell through. Following this, Cloud called out the NBA and WNBA commissioners over the harassment that players faced due to fans losing bets.

“We got NBA players being followed out in public because of not hitting parlays,” Cloud said. “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 the protection of the players. So for both Adam (Silver) and Cathy (Engelbert), 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.” 

Even when disgruntled bettors were not involved, players’ safety has been a concern.

WNBA players have faced angry fans even when the bets were not involved

As much growth as the WNBA Draft class of 2024 brought in, it also brought out what commentator Elle Duncan recently called a ‘toxic’ environment. She wasn’t wrong to mention that you simply cannot talk about anything without infuriating one or the other faction of fans. The players have faced that firsthand.

Take Alyssa Thomas, for instance. The Phoenix Mercury star received threats following an on-court incident with Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark in June and called out Cathy Engelbert right then.

“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.”

Part of this faction has been Angel Reese as well, who has been facing such threats since her time at LSU. WNBA players Dearica Hamby and many Fever players also came forward.

Being a part of the WNBPA, Nneka Ogwumike has dealt with player concerns throughout her tenure as president. The issue of player safety remains paramount in the league even today, especially with several new passionate fans watching today, and the WNBA and NBA have taken a new step to help fans better understand betting on the league.

WNBA, NBA Launch Responsible Gaming Campaign

In late September, the NBA, WNBA, and their respective player associations banded together to send the State Gambling Regulators a notice urging them to address the growing abuse that players were facing from unhappy bettors.

“We urge you to take steps that will better protect athletes, game participants, and their families from betting-related harassment and related threats. Members of our organizations are facing a marked increase in betting-related harassment and threats, typically from angry bettors who are on the wrong side of a particular wager. This conduct ranges from shouted harassment in an arena or on the street to violent threats conveyed online or on social media.”

The NBA and WNBA have now taken matters into their own hands to protect their biggest assets: the players.

On October 13, 2026 (reported October 14), the two leagues put forward a release aiming to nip the problem in the bud before it can even reach the players. The leagues are launching a program to educate young bettors about the risks involved in betting on sports.

The leagues are collaborating with the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) to launch a new responsible gaming campaign for the 2026-27 season. The hope is that informed bettors will accept losses without blaming athletes. Colie Edison, the WNBA’s Chief Growth Officer, elaborated on the campaign in the above-mentioned release. 

“Helping our fans make informed decisions is central to this effort. By bringing this campaign to WNBA audiences, we can reach more fans with practical guidance on understanding financial risk, setting limits, and recognizing when and where to find support.” 

Players will certainly hope that this endeavor by the leagues makes an active difference in the way fans think about them. Voices like Gray, Thomas, Cloud, and now Nneka Ogwumike allow for these difficult conversations to occur, opening up space for dialogue that could bring real change to how fans treat players.