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A pair of WNBA fans was escorted from their seats after going “too far” with Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young.
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The two men were not ejected from the arena but opted to leave Gainbridge Fieldhouse on their own after the incident escalated during the third quarter of Thursday’s game against the Indiana Fever.
Jewell Loyd was lined up for a free throw when she and Young began gesturing toward the sideline, according to USA Today.
“He was just chirping all game,” Young told reporters after the game. “I let him have it, and then he just made one (comment) that was a little bit too far.”
With 4:38 left in the quarter, the four-time All-Star alerted referees about the fans, prompting the game to stop for several minutes.
A woman, who was sitting in the front row directly across from the Aces bench, was escorted out through a tunnel before she returned a few minutes later, ESPN reported.
The two men, who were seated near her, were then walked out.
Jackie Young #0 of the Las Vegas Ace against the Indiana Fever at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Aug. 6, 2026, in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images) Photo by Andy Lyons /Getty Images
“Following a report of a comment directed toward a player, arena security spoke with the fan involved and witnesses,” the Fever said in a statement. “Security determined there was no violation of the Fan Code of Conduct. The fan was not removed from the arena, but elected to leave. We consider the matter closed.”
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Young stays mum, her teammate, not so much
Young, who was named to the 12-woman roster of the 2026 FIBA World Cup earlier that day, was happy about the game’s outcome, after teammate Chelsea Gray hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to give the Aces the 86-84 overtime win.
Young didn’t provide details about the incident, but admitted she was pleased with how the situation was handled.
“They did the right thing,” she said of the officials. “Obviously, we don’t want to see fans get kicked out, but at the end of the day, we’re human too. So let’s just show up to games, have fun and not take it too far.”
Gray, on the other hand, responded to the Fever’s statement in her postgame press conference.
“I don’t know the specifics, but stuff gets said on the sideline quite often,” she said. “It wasn’t directed at me. It was directed at Jackie and she told somebody, and clearly they found reason to kick him out. I’ll just leave it there.”
She added: “I mean, if they didn’t find any — they had a reason to take them out. So they’re not gonna just do that for nothing.”
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For Indiana, the incident comes after weeks of off-the-court controversy following on Fever star Sophie Cunningham’s comments about transgender athletes.
The Fever star has drawn both support and criticism for saying in an ESPN interview that “to protect young girls in a locker room,” they “shouldn’t have to go against biological men.”
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