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A screenshot has WNBA fans asking: did a player endorse a threat towards Caitlin Clark?
The WNBA finally got people to pay attention.
Now, some of its players seem to be learning what comes with that attention.
Golden State Valkyries guard Tiffany Hayes, also known as Tip Hayes, created a stir on social media by interacting with fans who were trashing the league’s most famous player, Caitlin Clark. Hayes even appeared to laugh at one fan’s comment that seemed to imply a potential threat toward Clark.
All of this stems from a heated on-court exchange between Clark and Hayes during Friday night’s game (and subsequent postgame comments).
Clark returned from a one-game absence due to a back injury and helped the Fever beat the Valkyries, 90-82. She finished with 22 points and nine assists, while Hayes scored 19 points off the bench for Golden State.
During the third quarter, Clark drilled a deep 3-pointer from the logo while Hayes was defending. Clark appeared to say something after the shot, and Hayes responded as the two exchanged words.
That alone isn’t a major issue. Trash talk is common in sports and is part of the game. Clark is certainly no stranger to trying to get into opponents’ heads with both her play and her chirps.
But this situation didn’t end on the court.
Hayes was later caught on a hot mic before her post game media availability saying, “They’re never going to start calling a foul on her. If they did, she would never get to play in the games.”
It was not definitively clear that Hayes was referring to Clark, but given the context of the game and the online reaction to their exchange, many fans took it that way.
Then came Hayes’ social media activity.
Screenshots circulating online appear to show Hayes interacting with fans on Threads after the game. In one exchange, a fan wrote, “I talk ish, b/c you’re nvr on my teams…. but I was READY 2 support your crashOUT.”
Hayes replied, “lol that’s fair.”
Another fan wrote, “Your composure was much better than mine would’ve been, I’ll tell ya that!”
Hayes responded, “My growth is a gift and a curse but mostly a gift.”
Then came the post that drew the most attention from Clark fans.
A fan wrote, “Listen. I got some cousins we don’t speak about that will ride at dawn upon request. Just let me know.”
Hayes replied, “😂 that’s real.”
Obviously, Hayes did not directly threaten Clark. The fan didn’t explicitly name Clark in the post. But it seems more likely than not that the exchange is about the Fever’s star player. There seems to be a section of WNBA fans who really don’t like Caitlin Clark, despite everything she has done to catapult the league into relevance.
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But will the league take action against Hayes, or at the very least investigate the behavior?
The WNBA has made a public point of taking those issues seriously. In May 2025, the league launched its “No Space for Hate” platform, which it described as an effort to “combat hate and promote respect across all WNBA spaces,” including online discourse and in-arena behavior. The league said the initiative included enhanced technological features to detect hateful comments online, increased security measures, mental health resources and league-wide messaging.
The league has also shown it can move quickly when allegations are made. After a May 2025 game between the Fever and Chicago Sky, the WNBA investigated claims of racist fan behavior directed toward Angel Reese near the court. The league later said it gathered information from fans, team and arena staff, and reviewed audio and video before determining the allegations were not substantiated.
The previous season, after Connecticut Sun players spoke publicly about alleged racial comments and threatening messages during the Fever-Sun playoff series, the WNBA issued a statement saying it would not tolerate “racist, derogatory, or threatening comments” made about players, teams or anyone affiliated with the league.
So, if the WNBA is going to make “No Space for Hate” a central part of its public message, it should not be difficult to ask whether that standard applies here, too.
OutKick reached out to the WNBA to ask whether the league is aware of Hayes’ social media activity, whether it plans to review or investigate the posts and whether its social media policy applies to player interactions with fans in situations like this. The league did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The WNBA has benefited enormously from Clark’s fame. She drives ratings, sells tickets and jerseys and creates national conversation. She has brought mainstream attention to a league that spent years begging for people to care.
But that attention also means players’ actions are going to be scrutinized in ways they may not have been before.
The WNBA cannot have it both ways. It cannot cash in on the attention Clark brings and then shrug when players appear to encourage or laugh along with reckless commentary involving her.
The WNBA wanted the spotlight. Now it has it.
Some of its players might want to start acting like they know people are watching. Or, maybe, they are acting like people are watching and this is the kind of messaging they want to spread.
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Popular snack food gets patriotic makeover in time for America’s 250th summer festivities
To celebrate America’s 250th birthday, Superpretzel is turning its iconic stadium snack food into a star-shaped offering for the summer festivities — joining a number of other brands that are releasing special-edition products this year.
The pretzels are crafted in the shape of “America’s most iconic symbol” and are “patriotic from the freezer to the fork,” Superpretzel said in a news release.
“America’s 250th is a celebration people will remember for years to come, and we wanted to create something simple, fun and shareable for families to enjoy together,” said Lynwood Mallard, chief marketing officer at J&J Snack Foods.
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The food is made in a place steeped in history, the company noted.
“Each star-shaped pretzel is produced in the Philadelphia area, where the nation’s founding began. This regional heritage makes the Star Pretzel more than a seasonal novelty. It is a snack with history baked in, coming straight from the heart of ‘Pretzel Country.'”
In addition to being sold at sports and amusement parks, movie theaters and other entertainment venues, Superpretzels can be found in the freezer aisle of most grocery and mass retail stores nationwide.
The company said the snack can be “freezer-to-oven ready in minutes” and recommended preparing it in an air fryer for extra crispness.
The star pretzels will be released on Memorial Day — and will be available until September.
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Several other heritage brands are joining the America 250 celebration with limited-edition, patriotic-themed food and drink offerings, as Fox News Digital previously reported.
Maker’s Mark announced that starting June 1, bourbon lovers will be able to buy the Kentucky-made liquor in a bottle featuring its “signature hand-dipped red wax, accented with a white wax dip and a blue rendition of its iconic seal.”
A portion of the proceeds from sales of the limited-edition bottles will go toward Farmer Veteran Coalition, which Maker’s Mark reported is “a national nonprofit that has helped more than 58,000 U.S. veterans build meaningful careers in agriculture.”
Pillsbury announced its contribution to the celebration is a line of Funfetti Stars & Stripes products, including “festive cake mixes and vibrant frostings in patriotic colors.”
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The Sparkling Ice company is collaborating with Life Savers candy to release a new red, white and blue variety 12-pack of its zero-sugar sparkling water.
The brand is also partnering with rapper Flavor Flav, “because he has an innate ability to connect old school with a new era,” Lisa Holcomb, vice president of Sparkling Ice parent company Talking Rain, said in a release.
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Coca-Cola will look different this summer season, too — the company announced it’s rolling out special America 250 packaging and collectible mini-cans designed to celebrate the unique features of all 50 states and Puerto Rico.
Cheerios also said it’s releasing a special birthday cake-flavored cereal, set to hit shelves in commemorative red, white and blue boxes.
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Mountain Dew went all-out in honoring the nation’s special occasion.
The soda company has rebranded itself “American Dew” — and added stars and stripes to its bottles and cans.
Oreo got in the spirit of things by unveiling its new Firecracker Pop Oreo cookie, created in partnership with Popsicle.
The red, white and blue crème consists of blue raspberry, lemon and cherry flavors, and is sandwiched between golden Oreos.
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Teen sailor killed aboard USS West Virginia at Pearl Harbor identified after 82 years through DNA analysis
The remains of a 17-year-old sailor killed during the World War II attack on Pearl Harbor are returning home more than 84 years later for a proper burial.
Royle Bradford Luker will be laid to rest with full military honors in Plainview, Arkansas, on May 30, according to his obituary. He will be buried alongside his parents, including his father, who was a World War I veteran.
“As a Fireman Third Class in the United States Navy aboard the U.S.S. West Virginia, he gave his all and was killed in the line of duty during the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941,” his obituary from Cornwell Funeral Homes stated.
His burial was arranged after modern forensic testing and DNA analysis comparing his remains with DNA from living relatives confirmed his identity decades later, the obituary said.
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For his service and sacrifice, Luker reportedly received numerous military honors, including the Purple Heart, awarded to those wounded or killed in combat, and the Navy Presidential Unit Citation, which recognizes extraordinary heroism by military units under enemy fire.
Other honors and awards listed in his obituary include the Gold Star Veteran designation, Combat Action Ribbon, Navy Expeditionary Medal, Navy Good Conduct Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, American Campaign Medal and World War II Victory Medal.
Luker was among the 106 crewmen killed when the USS West Virginia was struck during Japan’s surprise assault on Pearl Harbor.
For decades, he was listed as killed in action, while his remains were unidentified and interred as unknowns at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, according to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. His name was also memorialized on the Courts of the Missing there.
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Nearly 82 years after his death, Luker was officially accounted for on May 29, 2024, after authorities exhumed numerous caskets for modern forensic and DNA testing, according to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.
The teen sailor was the son of George F. Luker, a WWI veteran, and Nettie Estelle David Luker, according to his obituary.
Family members, some of whom lived in Arkansas during his deployment, reportedly said Luker was remembered “with pride and love.”
According to the obituary, he is survived by two nephews, Donald Bradford Henderson and John Luker, as well as a niece, Becky Downen Lensing.
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“More than 80 years later, DNA from Royle Luker and a family’s willingness to share their DNA bridged the gap between loss and knowing,” his obituary stated. “He will now be returned home and laid to rest.”
According to the U.S. Navy, the USS West Virginia was moored at Ford Island in 1941 when Japanese aircraft launched torpedoes against the battleship. The ship suffered multiple torpedo hits and eventually sank to the shallow harbor floor.
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