Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark stated she felt "a little sick" after some fans booed head coach Stephanie White during pregame introductions on Tuesday. The incident occurred despite the Fever being on a strong winning streak, having secured seven victories in their last nine games following a 106-92 win over the New York Liberty.
"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."
The booing reportedly stemmed from recent criticism of White's comments regarding a flagrant foul by DiJonai Carrington on Indiana's Sophie Cunningham. White had stated that she "don't oppose the hard foul" and appeared to defend Carrington, whom White had coached previously. Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith was among those who had called for White's dismissal.
Before Tuesday's game, White delivered a two-minute statement addressing her critics. "The reality is with me, I will always lead with love," White declared. "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."
Clark, who was also nearly suspended due to a technical foul that was later rescinded, noted the pressure on White. "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."
Despite the pregame controversy, Clark had a strong performance, recording her 19th career 20-point, 10-assist game. "I’m just proud of our group," Clark said after the win. "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."
The Fever locker room has experienced controversy throughout the season, including comments made by guard Sophie Cunningham regarding transgender athletes in women's sports last month. White concluded her remarks by stating, "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."