The WNBA suspended Seattle Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton for five home games and fined her an undisclosed amount, multiple reports said Thursday, after an exchange with two teenage girls in which Keaton allegedly called them “f–king insane” over their stance on trans athletes competing in women’s sports, leaving one of the girls in tears.
The incident occurred during Tuesday’s Storm-Fever game in Seattle, which came after Indiana guard Sophie Cunningham recently said in an ESPN profile that she wants to “protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men.”
The teenagers sat courtside and held signs supporting Cunningham, while wearing shirts advocating against trans inclusion in women’s sports.
The Storm apologized Wednesday after the girls discussed the incident with the unDivided podcast.
They allege that Keaton told them “Jesus loves everyone” and added “I hope Jesus can forgive you for what sin you’ve done.”
“I’ve never been yelled at like that,” one of the girls said regarding the incident causing her to cry. “I’ve had people hate on me on the internet, but it doesn’t really affect me as much, because it’s just people online. But that just caught me by surprise because I thought she was going to be nice, and she started screaming at us, and cussing at us.”
Storm majority owner Ginny Gilder said in a statement that “everyone who attends a Storm game deserves to feel welcome, and we remain committed to creating an inclusive environment where every fan is treated with respect.”
Cunningham responded to the apology Wednesday night, admonishing Keaton.
“I truly believe there is a safe space and love for EVERYBODY. Biological girls, biological boys, trans women, and trans men. Everyone is welcome at my table! You can disagree and still be kind,” Cunningham wrote on X.
“Bravo to those girls for standing up for what they believe. You’ll be hearing from me soon💕 yay for gifts. Truly embarrassing of the co-owner. Unfortunately shows the type of leader she is.”
A group of fans gathered outside Climate Pledge Arena before Tuesday’s game in support of Cunningham and a ballot initiative that would ban trans athletes from competing in women’s sports in Washington State. Others inside the arena held signs supporting trans people participating in sports.
