Former Atlanta Dream players Courtney Williams and Crystal Bradford have been suspended without pay by the WNBA for their roles in an altercation outside of an Atlanta-area food truck in May and for related health and safety protocol violations.
Williams’ suspension is for two games and Bradford’s suspension is for one game.
Williams and Bradford have been told by the Dream that they will not be re-signed. Both players are free agents, so the suspensions will be served starting with the first regular season game that each player is eligible to play following their signing with a new team.
Footage of the fight circulated on social media in October. It showed Williams, Bradford and others throwing multiple punches in a melee. Video of the incident lasted for more than two minutes.
Credit: WSBTV Videos
“I want to sincerely apologize for the video posted yesterday,” Williams wrote in a Twitter post afterward. “I would never want to represent myself or the organization in a negative way. I’m learning every day so I ask for grace as I’m growing. Again I apologize to all attached, and I will be better moving forward.”
The fight took place during the WNBA season. The Dream issued a statement on the incident then, which read: “The behavior in the video is unacceptable and does not align with our values as an organization. We are taking this matter very seriously and working with the league to gather more information and determine next steps.”.
Williams was the No. 8 pick in the 2016 WNBA draft. She helped Connecticut to the 2019 finals and was traded to Atlanta before the 2020 season. Williams led the Dream in scoring (16.5) and rebounds (6.8) in the 2021 season and was named a WNBA All-Star.
Bradford averaged 8.8 points and 3.8 rebounds. She suffered a foot injury in August and missed the rest of the season.
Williams recently signed with Athletes Unlimited for a new basketball league that will play during the WNBA’s offseason.
