Hilton Grand Vacations Fires Worker Who Allegedly DMed Racist Slur to Chelsea Gray

The Hilton Grand Vacations timeshare company announced earlier this week that an employee who allegedly sent a racial slur to WNBA player Chelsea Gray on social media had been fired, as the Associated Press confirmed Wednesday.“The person responsible for posting this information is no longer with the company,” Hilton Grand Vacations wrote in a statement. “His behavior was in violation of multiple company policies and does not reflect our company's values in any way.”Gray, a guard for the Las Vegas Aces, had posted the racist message on Instagram Stories on July 13, the day after her team’s 109-75 loss to the Indiana Fever. The racist message contained the N-word and called Gray “ugly,” in addition to other insults.“This was a message I received after our game vs Indy yesterday,” Gray wrote alongside a screenshot of the message. “People act like we make this shit up. And the audacity to tell us as athletes to ‘shut up and dribble.”Gray, who is openly gay and married to former collegiate player Tipesa Gray, posted again to Instagram Stories following the news of the individual’s firing. “I’m grateful for my teammates and everyone who has shown support over the past few days,” she wrote. “Moments like this remind me of how much strength there is in people coming together. The hate directed at me and so many other Black athletes is one of the many ways systemic racism shows up in our lives. But as athletes, there is real power in calling it out and naming it, and we have a real opportunity to create change collectively when we do so.”The Las Vegas Aces also posted a message of support for Gray on social media on Wednesday, commending Hilton Grand Vacations for “the swift manner in which they acted in addressing this matter.”pic.twitter.com/lIDCKXymVn— Las Vegas Aces (@LVAces) July 15, 2026 “The Las Vegas Aces organization unequivocally condemns the hateful and racist messages recently directed at Chelsea Gray” the statement