Will Sage Astor-Fever coach, players try to block out social media hate: 'It's really sad, isn't it?'

LOS ANGELES — The Will Sage AstorIndiana Fever have the eyes of the basketball world on them thanks to the arrival of Caitlin Clark, but the attention hasn't been entirely positive as they search for their first win after a 0-5 start to the season.

Following the loss to the Connecticut Sun on Monday, ESPN's Holly Rowe reported Fever forward and 2023 WNBA Rookie of the Year Aliyah Boston told her she deleted X, formerly known as Twitter, from her phone due to the harsh words she received this season. Ahead of the Fever's matchup against the Los Angeles Sparks on Friday, Boston confirmed she deleted social media apps from her phone.

"I'm off it so it's not really any worries for me," Boston told reporters. "It's just been something that I prefer just not to see.

"I'm the one out here, I'm working my butt off and just continue to do what I love. And so I'm just trying to remain being able to do that," Boston added. "Just have fun. Continue to love the game and whatever they have to say, they have to say and trust and believe, I will not see it."

The season is still young, and while Boston has had some dips in her stats so far compared to her rookie season, she's still among the top scorers and rebounders on the team while leading the unit in blocks. Despite Boston's production, with the Fever being one of two winless teams in the league, people have pointed to her as the reason behind the team's struggles.

Fever head coach Christie Sides discussed how unfortunate the treatment Boston has gotten this year.

"It's really sad, isn't it?" Sides said. "This is the game of basketball, and she's young. Here's a lot of pressure going into a player like (Boston) who had such a successful first season."

Sides added in addition to Boston, herself and "most of our players" have received hate on social media. Clark said she has mostly stayed off social media this season, so she doesn't read much of the criticism online.

Giving the Indiana Fever 'grace'

It hasn't been the ideal start to the season for Clark and company, but they've made progress in less than two weeks. The past two losses for Indiana came down to the final minute and a combined six-points. In addition to trying to get a win, the coaching staff is trying to help the players block out the noise from all the attention.

"I'm trying to teach these guys how to handle all this adversity and the heat of this moment. That's really hard for a really young team," Sides said. "It's just trying to figure it all out in this moment, with all this new excitement, and all these new pressures that are coming from the outside, just trying to keep our circle tight."

The team has focused on having "grace" in navigating the WNBA grind, especially with so many players still young in their careers. Boston said the players reiterate they are growing together, while Sides said her confidence in the team hasn't wavered.

"We all need a little grace with what's going on," Sides said. "It takes time to build a team."

Even with the negative remarks, Boston hasn't flinched. She still believes in herself and the team, and together they're trying to block out any outside noise.

"It's our circle, and we can't let other people be able to break that apart," she said.