Caitlin Clark knows Fever coach 'always supported me.' She did the same for Stephanie White
· Yahoo Sports
INDIANAPOLIS — Whether Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White returns next season remains uncertain. But franchise cornerstone Caitlin Clark made sure to commend White during her exit interview Thursday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
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“I really appreciate Steph,” Clark said. “I like to say, the best job in women's basketball and possibly women's sports, getting to lead this franchise that has so much notoriety. But at the same time, it can come with some negatives, and people are going to criticize everything that you do, and that's just reality, and people expect greatness. Personally, my relationship with Steph, she's somebody that's always supported me, and it's been really fun getting to play for her.”
To go deeper into Clark's adoration for White, let’s go back to May 30.
Remember Portland?
Indiana led in the first quarter until White substituted Clark and fellow star Aliyah Boston. Portland went on a 13-2 run. The second quarter starts. The Fever were getting whooped by the league's newest team. Frustrations fester.
White and Clark have a passionate exchange, a brief spat. Clark raised her hands and gestured toward White. White pointed at rookie Raven Johnson and demanded she sit in Clark’s place as she gave instructions to the team. Clark stood up as White kept talking to the players.
Oh boy, did social media run with this. Online fans called for her job. White became a pariah. And that was only the beginning. But Clark came to her defense.
“First of all, two people being competitive, two people who really want to win,” Clark said then about the incident. “I think a lot of those things happen all the time, and I know there's a camera on me, and that's how it's going to be, but there are a lot of people out there in the media or on TV who think they know a lot of things, and they're just blatantly wrong about a lot of things.”
“When I got hurt at the Connecticut game last year, I bawled in Steph's arms," Clark said. "That is somebody I'll ride with for life. She had my back when really nobody else did."
The noise quieted. The naysayers retreated. But they seem to be roaring lions, seeking any opportunity to devour this team and coach.
Aug. 8 arrives. The Fever are in Chicago, playing the Sky. Indiana was 19-12 entering and had won seven of its last 10 games. They won 90-86, but how White reacted, or didn’t react, became more of a conversation than what she drew up on the clipboard.
Chicago Sky guard DiJonai Carrington hit Sophie Cunningham across the face as the Fever guard went up for a layup in transition. Cunningham went face to face with Carrington and was held back by Makayla Timpson. Carrington was ejected upon review.
“I don’t think DiJonai intentionally came out to get her across the neck like she did, but it did happen, and I thought (ejection) was the right call,” White said after the game. “But one of the things about Nai is that she’s gonna play her butt off; she’s gonna compete; nobody’s gonna go walking in for a layup.”
Many on social media called for White’s departure once more, including Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith. Beckwith posted on Twitter, "Ok… The @IndianaFever need to let Stephanie White go. No solid coach would ever take the side of the opposing team’s player who committed a flagrant foul on one of your own players. Terrible coaching! The Fever need to defend their players."
The Fever fans booed White during Indiana’s next home game against the New York Liberty. Once again, Clark defended her coach.
“I told her that before the game there was no way we were losing this game for her,” Clark said following the Fever’s 106-92 win over the Liberty. “It’s tough. That’s my head coach. I hated that our fans booed her before the game. That made me a little sick, to be honest. You can disagree and this and that, 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.”
White stood up for herself. Before the game, she denounced the online narratives in a fiery speech. She said she didn’t see the play in “real time” and called it ”egregious.”
“I ride with them 10 toes down all the time. They know that,” she said.
They did, including Clark. But that never seemed sufficient in a season when most online reacted to spats, fists, stances and points instead of White’s success with the Fever.
Little logical conversation based on reasoning or facts took place. For some, their disposition, immutable. Their hearts, impervious to truth. White wasn’t good for the Fever because White wasn’t good for Clark.
But to Clark, White was good for … Clark. Clark and White earned gold at the FIBA World Cup together in September, one of Clark's “most special memories” of 2026. They share a “fiery passion,” the three-time All-Star said. White expects “great things” from Clark and her teammates, Clark added.
“Really thankful for all the time she's given to this organization, and sometimes people don't realize that when people don't live up to certain expectations, it's not always on the coaching staff,” Clark said.
"There's a lot of other areas that need to be evaluated," she said. "It’s just as much on us as players to play better and help us win. Our coaching staff spent a lot of time and energy to try to put us in a position to be successful. But overall, just thankful for her and all the coaches …”
White wasn’t perfect. Find a coach who was, is or will be. But her open-door policy led the Fever to the WNBA semifinals last season. This year, she coached Clark and Kelsey Mitchell to arguably one of the best seasons for a backcourt duo. Under her guidance, the Fever were one of the best offensive teams in WNBA history, and won a franchise-record 28 games. She coached a team with almost no defense to an elimination game against the reigning champions.
Success came with vitriol. And each time, Clark’s defense followed. Hoist by your own petard.
Joshua Heron is an enterprise and Fever reporter. Follow him on Twitter at @JoshEHeron. Get IndyStar's Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter. Subscribe to IndyStar TV: Fever for in-depth analysis, behind-the-scenes coverage and more.
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Caitlin Clark knows Fever coach 'always supported me.' She did the same for Stephanie White
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