Chelsea Gray received online racial abuse via a direct message after the Aces’ loss Sunday. Lucas Peltier / Imagn Images
July 14, 2026 Updated 6:46 pm EDT
Hilton Grand Vacations has fired an employee who allegedly sent a racial slur to Las Vegas Aces guard Chelsea Gray after the team’s 109-75 loss to the Indiana Fever on Sunday.
The direct message “You suck ass ugly ass n—–” was sent via social media. Gray posted a screenshot of the slur with the caption, “People act like we just make this s— up. And the audacity to tell us as athletes to ‘shut up and dribble.’”
After Gray posted the direct message to her Instagram story Monday, the internet community did some investigating and connected the sender to Hilton Grand Vacations, noting the individual tagged the company in several of his stories. The company confirmed Tuesday that the individual is no longer employed with Hilton Grand Vacations.
“We are aware of the allegations,” the company said in a statement to Front Office Sports. A later statement reads: “The person responsible for posting this information is no longer with the company. His behavior was in violation of multiple company policies and does not reflect our company’s values in any way.”
Gray’s message was not the only such incident over the weekend. Minnesota Lynx guard Courtney Williams received a hateful audio message on Instagram after Minnesota’s 90-85 win over the New York Liberty on Saturday. Williams had 12 points, 12 rebounds and one assist in the contest. A fan blamed Williams for not earning two assists, which cost the fan a player prop bet.
The Aces, Lynx and WNBA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The situation comes just weeks after Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas said she and her teammates received online harassment following an incident between Thomas and Fever guard Caitlin Clark in which Thomas pushed a fist to Clark’s throat during a game. Thomas received a one-game suspension and called out WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert after Thomas received online threats, including death threats and racial slurs. Clark and Fever coach Stephanie White denounced online harassment and hate directed at WNBA players.
Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly described an altercation between Alyssa Thomas and Caitlin Clark. Thomas pushed her fist to Clark’s throat during a game. She did not grab Clark’s throat. The article has been corrected.
Jul 14, 2026
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