The camera cut to Atlanta Dream guard Allisha Gray 2 minutes after the final buzzer of Game 2 of the 2028 WNBA First Round, her teal jersey soaked through with sweat, voice tight with the raw frustration of a season on the line.

The Dream had just lost 89–82 to the Indiana Fever at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, down 1–1 in the best-of-3 series, and ION Sports reporter Holly Rowe asked, “You seemed visibly frustrated with the crowd at times—what was that about?” Gray, still processing a late-game ejection she’d witnessed, blurted: “Some of their fans were yelling slurs the whole game. It’s hard to focus when that’s happening.”

Within 10 minutes, anonymous TikTok and X accounts had clipped the first 10 words, added deepfake audio of Gray saying, “and Caitlin Clark was encouraging them,” and blared: “DREAM BUSTED ON LIVE TV LYING ABOUT FEVER FANS & CAITLIN CLARK!” But the broadcast itself would debunk the lie 30 seconds later—by cutting to court-side audio, security footage, and Gray’s own immediate correction.

The full context, revealed in real time on ION Sports, was far from a “lie”: In the 4th quarter, with 2:17 left and the Fever leading 83–78, an intoxicated Fever fan in Section 104 yelled a misogynistic and anti-Black slur at Gray as she set a screen. Fever security, who’d been monitoring the fan since he’d argued with an usher 10 minutes prior, ejected him within 90 seconds.

As he was led out, the 180 other fans in Section 104 booed him and chanted “RESPECT THE GAME”—footage the broadcast played immediately after Gray’s initial comment.

Thirty seconds later, Gray leaned back into the mic, her voice softer: “Wait—no, that’s not right. It was one fan. He was ejected, and the other Fever fans booed him. I shouldn’t have generalized. That’s on me.”

ION Sports anchor Beth Mowins followed with an on-air correction: “The audio clip circulating online includes fabricated content—Allisha Gray did not mention Caitlin Clark in her interview. We stand by the full, unedited footage.”

The “Caitlin Clark lie” was a deliberate deepfake, confirmed by the WNBA’s Trust & Safety team within 2 hours. The audio of Gray “mentioning Clark” matched the same AI-generated tone used in 3 previous 2028 clickbait clips targeting the Fever star—clips that had also been debunked by the league.

Security footage from the Fever bench showed Clark, who’d been playing through a mild ankle sprain, was talking to head trainer Dr. Lisa Thompson during the fan ejection, with no line of sight to the altercation.

Clark addressed the deepfake in a 2-minute Instagram Reel that night, holding up a screenshot of the WNBA’s deepfake analysis: “I was focused on my ankle during that timeout— I didn’t even see the fan.

This stuff is getting out of hand: people are using AI to fabricate lies just to get clicks. Check the full broadcast. Check the security logs. Don’t believe the noise.”

Gray’s only actual mention of officials—twisted by clickbait into a “lie about Clark”—was a passing, emotional comment: “I thought some of the screen calls were inconsistent—Caitlin set a hard screen that didn’t get called, but I got called for one that felt similar.”

The WNBA’s mandatory Last Two Minutes Report (L2M), released at 10 a.m. ET the next day, clarified every call: Clark was called for 2 offensive fouls on screens (one in the 2nd quarter, one in the 3rd); Gray was called for 1 offensive foul on a screen in the 4th quarter.

The L2M ruled all 3 calls “correct per WNBA screen contact guidelines.” Gray tweeted an apology that afternoon: “I reviewed the L2M—refs got it right. My comment was emotional, not factual. Apologies to the refs, Caitlin, and the Fever fans who showed respect last night.”

The Fever and Dream, far from escalating drama, responded with unity— a stark contrast to the clickbait’s intent. Fever coach Stephanie White told The Indianapolis Star’s Lauren Williams: “We ejected that fan as soon as we heard the slur—zero tolerance is non-negotiable for us.

Allisha was upset, and she owned her mistake immediately. This isn’t a rivalry moment; it’s a reminder that we all need to hold fans accountable, no matter which team they root for.”

Dream coach LaChina Robinson, a former WNBA analyst who’d faced her own clickbait harassment, added: “Allisha made a misstep, but she corrected it before the interview even ended.

The fact that someone used deepfakes to drag Caitlin into this is disgusting—we stand with all WNBA players against this kind of targeted harassment.”

This incident is part of a dangerous 2028 pattern: anonymous accounts using deepfakes, decontextualized clips, and misogyny to target the Fever—now the WNBA’s most popular team, with 16 sellout games that season—and Clark, the league’s all-time assists leader.

Sports media ethicist Jane Carter, a Northwestern University professor specializing in women’s sports, told The Athletic: “These accounts profit from framing women’s sports as divisive.

They know the WNBA’s transparency (L2M, security logs, broadcast archives) can debunk their lies, but they count on fans sharing first and fact-checking later. This isn’t just misinformation—it’s harassment of the players who make the sport worth watching.”

By Game 3 in Atlanta, the clickbait narrative had fizzled: 200 Fever fans traveled to State Farm Arena, holding signs that read “RESPECT ALL PLAYERS” and “NO ROOM FOR SLURS.”

Gray and Clark shook hands before tipoff, and Gray even waved to the Fever fans in Section 204 during warmups. The Dream won 91–88, advancing to the Semifinals, but the real takeaway wasn’t the score—it was the rejection of clickbait drama.

The Dream didn’t “lie” or get “busted” on live TV. They had an emotional misstep, corrected it immediately, and the clickbait industrial complex fabricated the rest with deepfakes and edited clips.

For fans of women’s basketball, the lesson is clear: Reject sensational headlines from anonymous accounts. Check the full broadcast. Trust the WNBA’s transparent data (L2M, security logs) and accredited beat writers.

The real story of the WNBA isn’t fake feuds—it’s players holding each other accountable, fans standing against harassment, and a league fighting every day to be seen for what it is: the best women’s basketball in the world.