The boo birds were out in full force in Indianapolis on Tuesday, this time targeting Fever head coach Stephanie White.
Despite Indiana being on a hot streak — having won seven of their last nine after a 106-92 win over the Liberty — White was jeered during pregame introductions, which made Fever star Caitlin Clark “sick.”
“There was no way we were losing this game for her,” Clark said. “I hated that our fans booed her before the game. That made me a little sick, to be honest. And you can disagree, and I get it, it’s professional sports. People are going to boo. But at the end of the day, that’s our head coach, and we’re going to ride for her.”
Clark, who was nearly barred from playing Tuesday, said the league made the “right decision” to rescind her eighth technical foul that would have resulted in a one-game suspension.
The Fever star seemed to take the negative reinforcement well, as she recorded her 19th career 20-point, 10-assist game, more than every other WNBA team has total.
“I feel for her because I know it can be a lot at times,” Clark said. “She does a great job a lot of times blocking it out, but there are other times where it can get under your skin. And that’s just human and that’s just life.”
Fans, including Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith, have called for White’s job in recent days after her comments on DiJonai Carrington’s flagrant foul on Indiana’s Sophie Cunningham. White said “I don’t oppose the hard foul” and seemed to defend Carrington, whom White coached for multiple seasons in Connecticut.
Before Tuesday’s game, White opened her press conference with an impassioned two-minute statement firing back at critics of her, the Fever and the league.
“The reality is with me, I will always lead with love,” White said. “I will always lead with grace, I will always lead with humility and I will always lead with integrity. Doesn’t mean I’ll always get it right. I’m also human. The hate, the fearmongering, the divisiveness, the stuff that’s trying to hijack our league will not win. It won’t win. We are united, we are connected. We will not be divided. Every day these women put their ass on the line. Every day. When they go low, we go high. Love will win. Grace will win. Humility will win, and kindness will win. I stand by them. I’ll always stand by them. Everybody else can go to hell.”
The Fever locker room has been a breeding ground for controversy this season, coming to a head after guard Sophie Cunningham’s comments on transgender athletes on women’s sports last month.
Sitting next to Cunningham on the podium, Clark said Tuesday: “I’m just proud of our group. I think we showed what we’re all about tonight. We came out, we had fun … we really just did it for her and did it for each other and the girls in our locker room.”
