08/11/26 09:14:00
Printable Page
08/11 21:12 CDT Fever coach Stephanie White says divisiveness 'will not win'
during pregame rant
Fever coach Stephanie White says divisiveness 'will not win' during pregame rant
By MICHAEL MAROT
AP Sports Writer
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) --- Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White has had enough of the
conversations around the WNBA this season that aren't about basketball.
On Tuesday, she finally lashed out.
The 2023 WNBA Coach of the Year and one of the original Fever players angrily
defended herself after she was criticized for her response to DiJonai
Carrington's flagrant foul on Sophie Cunningham, and pleaded with people to
focus on the sport and not the continual sideshows.
"The hate, the fearmongering, the divisiveness that's trying to hijack our
league will not win. It won't win," White said, her voice rising as she pounded
the table in front of her. "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 will always stand by them. Everybody else
can go to hell."
White left immediately after her 2 1/2-minute outburst ended without taking
questions.
Indiana responded with one of its best halves of the season, shooting 59% from
the field and 79% on 3-pointers on its way to a 106-92 victory over the New
York Liberty. The Fever have won seven of their last nine despite being the
focal point of so many controversies.
Fever All-Star Caitlin Clark wasn't surprised by how the Fever played or
White's pregame reaction. She was more upset by the boos she heard during
White's pregame introduction.
"I talked to Steph earlier in the day and you know I think we forget a lot of
times, like, we're humans and she has feelings and there are moments that are
really hard and sometimes that's the job we sign up for," Clark said. "At the
same time, it's OK to feel those emotions and I told her I've been through the
same thing."
Clark added: "There was like no way we were losing this game. Like, that's my
head coach. Like, I hated that our fans booed her before the game. That made me
a little sick to be honest."
Carrington hit Cunningham in the head and neck area Saturday, knocking the
Fever guard hard to the ground on a breakaway layup. Cunningham got up and
charged toward Carrington but was restrained.
Carrington was assessed a Flagrant 2, an automatic ejection. The Chicago Sky
player then wrote "WHITE PRIVILEGE" and tagged the Fever on a social media
account. On Monday, Carrington said she never claimed the foul call was "white
privilege."
Cunningham has been outspoken about her desire to keep transgender women out of
women's sports, a position that has spurred rallies in support of and opposed
to her stance.
White initially said she thought the refs got the call right but that she
didn't think that action near the head and neck area was intentional. Critics
claimed she was defending Carrington.
"OK... The Indiana Fever need to let Stephanie White go," Indiana Lieutenant
Gov. Micah Beckwith wrote Sunday on X. "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."
White explained Tuesday that she had not seen the replay when she first spoke
with reporters Saturday and that she changed her opinion after watching it
again. She called the foul "egregious."
"Our players' success, our players' health and wellness, our players' safety is
always a top priority," she began, her voice rising. "One of the things I pride
myself on is my relationships with my players. For those who have anything to
say about the play in the last game, I didn't see the replay. I went straight
to a press conference, I thought the play got called right. Thankfully, Sophie
is OK. Was it egregious? Absolutely.
"When you get a chance to see that on replay over and over, you see that. I
didn't see that in real time. I personally take any suggestions that I don't
100% always have my players back. I ride with them 10 toes down all the time,
all the time."
Cunningham received a loud ovation when she entered Tuesday's game. She and
White hugged after the game.
"I think there's just been a lot of outside noise but our locker room is good,"
Cunningham said. "We have each other's backs. Coach loves us. So give her her
flowers. She didn't see the clip and that's OK. Me and Steph are great, and
Steph is great with all of us."
White faced a similar controversy when Clark also was fouled hard earlier this
season, prompting a letter from the U.S. House of Representatives to WNBA
Commissioner Cathy Engelbert.
White and Clark also were involved in a sideline spat in late and there was
speculation about White's job status following the incident.
Now White just wants everyone to get back to basketball.
"It's a shame we can't have an opportunity to talk about what great basketball
they are playing," White said with emphasis. "The reality is, with me, I will
always lead with love. I will always lead with grace, I will always lead with
humility. and I will always lead with integrity. It doesn't mean I'll always
get it right. I'm human."
___
AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
|
