The Chicago Sky and coach James Wade filed a complaint with the WNBA on Wednesday morning after Wade said an official made a racially derogatory comment about him during Chicago’s loss to Atlanta on Tuesday night.
The Sky said it will be filing a complaint with the WNBA office after coach James Wade, who is Black, said a white official referred to him as "boy" during Tuesday's loss.— Shannon Ryan (@sryantribune) May 26, 2021
The Sky said it will be filing a complaint with the WNBA office after coach James Wade, who is Black, said a white official referred to him as "boy" during Tuesday's loss.
A Sky spokesperson told the Chicago Tribune that players heard the official use the term and Wade saw the exchange.
“When someone tells one of my players, ‘Hey, explain to your boy,’ I take that personal,” Wade said after the 90-83 loss. “That’s what I’ve been dealing with. That’s how people see me.”
Wade is one of two Black male head coaches in the WNBA. Vickie Johnson of the Dallas Wings is currently the only Black female head coach in the league, which is made up of about 80 percent Black players.
The incident comes on the heels of the WNBA suspending and fining Sun coach Curt Miller for an offensive comment he made about Las Vegas Aces star Liz Cambage.