Hilton Grand Vacations fires employee for racist DM to Gray

An employee of Hilton Grand Vacations has been fired after allegedly sending a racist direct message to Las Vegas Aces star Chelsea Gray. The company announced the termination on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, stating the individual's actions violated multiple company policies and did not reflect its values.

The incident stems from a message Gray received on Instagram following her team's 109-75 loss to the Indiana Fever on Sunday, July 12. On Monday, July 13, Gray posted a screenshot of the message, which included a racial slur, to her Instagram story. She accompanied the image with a caption expressing frustration that such abuse is often dismissed. "People act like we make this shit up," Gray wrote. "And the audacity to tell us as athletes to shut up and dribble."

Social media users quickly identified the sender as an employee of Hilton Grand Vacations, an independent timeshare company spun off from Hilton Worldwide. After initially stating it was investigating the matter, the company confirmed the employee's dismissal later on Tuesday. In a statement, Hilton Grand Vacations said, "The person responsible for posting this information is no longer with the company. His behavior was in...