WNBA Details Safety Response as Stalking Cases Affect Players

The WNBA is confronting renewed questions about player security after reported stalking cases involving several prominent athletes. The Guardian reported that the league uses a formal three-stage process to assess threats, deploy added protection and, when warranted, restrict individuals or involve local law enforcement.

Watch the highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s66UhgExXf4

The issue has affected Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark. According to the Guardian, Michael Lewis sent Clark hundreds of messages, including threatening and sexually explicit communications, between December 12, 2024, and January 11, 2025. He was arrested at an Indianapolis hotel and sentenced in July to two and a half years in prison. Clark said she feared for her safety and changed her appearance in public.

Other cases have involved players at both professional and college level. A 40-year-old man pleaded guilty in 2024 to stalking Paige Bueckers while she played for UConn. The Guardian also reported that Kiki Rice received dozens of messages while at UCLA from a man who believed they shared a special connection, while a 48-year-old man was arrested in June on accusations of stalking Clark's Fever teammate Sophie Cunningham.

A league source told the Guardian that player safety is treated as a priority at games, hotels, airports and online. When a threat is reported, the WNBA's Global Security Operations Center, which operates around the clock, first assesses its validity and starts an investigation. The league then determines whether extra security is needed. A final step can include arena or game restrictions, bans, or referral to local authorities.

The league's new collective bargaining agreement also establishes minimum safety requirements for every team, according to the report. The WNBA said every reported incident is investigated, reflecting the wider security demands that accompany increased attention around the league and its players.

The Guardian spoke with Shira Gabriel, a psychology professor at the University at Buffalo, who said parasocial relationships are common and are not inherently harmful. Gabriel said the danger emerges when a person stops recognizing the public figure as a real person and begins acting in ways they would not in an ordinary relationship. The league's procedures are designed to respond when that boundary becomes a potential threat.