Creators are telling WNBA fans veteran Natasha Cloud is being black-balled; top reporters have a different story

Yet the WNBA is not running away from the Cloud story. Instead, multiple reports citing both on- and off-the-record league figures seem to explain why Cloud remains a free agent.

Liberty general manager Jonathan Kolb went out of his way to address the situation with Cloud at a press conference over the weekend, telling reporters “there’s a lot out there that I’d just like to dispel.”

Kolb then praised Cloud as a player and person before explaining that New York moved on from her because of salary cap constraints as it brought in two younger free agent forwards in her place.

“She belongs in the WNBA,” he said.

Reports from The Athletic and The IX Sports also revealed that Cloud hired new agents twice in the past month.

But just as fans were beginning to get some clarity into Cloud’s status, her partner once again created confusion. In a reply to an aggregator account citing The Athletic’s reporting that multiple teams had shown interest in Cloud during free agency, center Isabelle Harrison, who was publicly dating Cloud as of last year, wrote “this isn’t true.”

Shortly after, Harrison deleted the post, and Cloud offered a statement on her Threads account.

“I have yet to speak. That’s intentional & my power,” Cloud wrote. “I’ve just worked. No sulking, no whining. Work. & I will continue to work as I always have. Proving myself right year, after year, after year. (11) to be exact. I know who I am. I know my value/worth. & ain’t nothing traditional.”

While Cloud wants to own the narrative around her free agency status and share the story directly with her passionate fan base, the apparent issues behind the scenes and questions about her market have left an opening for others to run away with the story. Whether they support Cloud or detest her, while Cloud has “yet to speak,” creators are pushing a narrative that she is either being black-balled or getting her comeuppance.

In reality, Cloud seems to be falling victim to the same forces that every free agent must deal with.

Certainly the story could change, and one side could be proven correct. The instinct to stand up for athletes who may be on the receiving end of backlash over their political views or personal beliefs is welcome among a new generation of media stars who came up outside the more cautious environment of traditional journalism. But while this story is far from complete, the messaging around Cloud’s career hiccup this spring is far more definitive than the truth seems to be.

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