A five-game home suspension and a fine now hang over Seattle Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton after the WNBA confirmed disciplinary action stemming from an alleged verbal attack on two teenage fans, Fox News Digital reported.
Tuesday night’s matchup between the Storm and the Indiana Fever was supposed to be a highlight for the two girls, who scored court-side seats to watch Fever guard Sophie Cunningham.
Instead, the night spiraled into controversy that has since drawn national attention.
The girls arrived dressed in XX-XY Athletics gear, a nod to Cunningham’s recent public support for preserving women’s sports.
Independent journalist Brandi Kruse, who accompanied the teens for parts of the evening, told Fox News Digital that Storm players directed thumbs-down gestures at the girls before things escalated further.
“They were giving them thumbs down — like, to their faces,” Kruse said.
What followed, according to Kruse, was far more serious. She said the girls told her an older woman connected to the Storm approached them, yelled, and used the phrase “f—ing insane” to describe them.
Kruse said the teens pointed out their alleged harasser sitting near Storm legend and co-owner Sue Bird.
When Kruse flagged the situation to an arena security guard, the guard reportedly identified the woman as “one of the owners of the team.”
Kruse later confirmed the woman’s identity as Keaton, a known figure within the Storm’s ownership group.
Climate Pledge Arena’s code of conduct explicitly bans abusive or obscene language, with violators subject to ejection.
Kruse said she pressed security to act on that policy but argued the response fell short of how an ordinary fan would have been treated.
“Had this been any other fan under any other circumstances who swore at and called some teenage girls ‘f—ing insane’ until they cried, they would’ve been ejected,” Kruse said.
The emotional toll surfaced by halftime, Kruse said, describing one of the girls in tears.
“I look over at halftime, and she’s sobbing,” Kruse said. “They were so excited for those seats, like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see some of their favorite players. They stayed up the night before making signs.”
Rumors circulated online claiming arena staff forced the girls to stop displaying their pro-Cunningham signs.
Kruse disputed that version of events, saying the girls made the choice themselves after the alleged confrontation rattled them.
“The report that they told the girls to put those signs away is not true,” Kruse said. “The girls put their signs away because of what happened with Celeste, and they just felt so scared and uncomfortable, they decided not to hold them anymore.”
Storm majority owner Ginny Gilder responded publicly on Wednesday, issuing an apology on behalf of the organization.
“We are aware one of our co-owners made comments to two fans in attendance at last night’s game. We apologize that this happened. 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,” the statement read.
Cunningham herself broke her silence late Wednesday, reposting Fox News Digital’s coverage on X with a lengthy statement of her own.
“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. 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,” Cunningham wrote.
The controversy quickly reached beyond basketball circles. Author J.K. Rowling was among several high-profile figures on social media who amplified the girls’ story as it spread.
Hours before tipoff, a rally had formed outside Climate Pledge Arena to mark Cunningham’s stance on women’s sports, drawing a smaller cluster of counterprotesters advocating for transgender inclusion nearby.
Storm officials said beforehand that they were monitoring the demonstration closely and remained focused on maintaining a welcoming, inclusive atmosphere for all attendees.
After the final buzzer, Storm head coach Sonia Raman addressed the rally but stopped short of commenting on the allegations against Keaton, since Kruse had not yet gone public with them.
“We always want to be an area where people feel welcome coming into this building,” Raman said, noting coordination with arena security. “From what I understand, that was successful.”
Indiana’s organization, meanwhile, worked quickly to put distance between itself and the rally.
A Fever public relations staffer cut in during coach Stephanie White’s postgame press conference when she was asked about the demonstration.
“Neither our organization nor Sophie had any knowledge of this demonstration and no contact with its organizers,” the staffer said, redirecting reporters to basketball-related topics.
Cunningham and Fever star Caitlin Clark skipped the postgame media session entirely.
Guards Kelsey Mitchell and Monique Billings took their place beside White, who echoed the team’s earlier denial of any involvement with the rally’s organizers.
