Caitlin Clark’s Fever Coach Claims Rivals Took 'Cheap Shots' on WNBA Star as She Exits Game Early
Caitlin Clark’s Fever Coach Claims Rivals Took 'Cheap Shots' on WNBA Star as She Exits Game Early
Natasha DyeThu, June 25, 2026 at 4:54 PM UTC
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Caitlin Clark is defended by three Mercury players on June 24, 2026Credit: Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images -
Caitlin Clark exited the Fever's game against the Phoenix Mercury in the second half and did not return on Wednesday, June 24
Fever head coach Stephanie White said the fouls committed against Clark were "egregious" and "disrespectful" during a postgame press conference
The Fever lost to the Mercury, 111-109, and will next play the Los Angeles Sparks
Caitlin Clark did not return to the court after the Phoenix Mercury took what Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White claimed were "cheap shots" in their primetime matchup on Wednesday, June 24.
Clark, 24, exited the game at the Fever's Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis during the third quarter due to back issues and did not return. In a postgame press conference following Indiana's 111-109 loss, White said the fouls committed against Clark during the game were "egregious" and called out the WNBA officials.
"I just saw it," White said of the replay of a foul that appeared to show Mercury player Alyssa Thomas putting her fist onto Clark's neck while the Fever star is laying on the ground. "I'm not sure if it had any impact on her health or not, but it was egregious," White told reporters, adding, "The fact that it was a no-call...I brought it to the attention of the officials at halftime, yet we still had 11 fouls in the fourth quarter to their two?"
Caitlin Clark on June 24, 2026Credit: Andy Lyons/Getty
White, 49, said the Fever have a "generational talent and WNBA superstar" in Clark, "who had to cheap shots right there that weren't called," and added the no-call "absolutely unacceptable."
"Number one, you gotta call it. It's absolutely egregious and utterly disrespectful," White continued on Wednesday. "And then number two, you're aware of what happened two nights ago, and that s--- still happens? Absolutely unacceptable. Absolutely unacceptable."
White also called out officials for a reckless close-out on Clark's three-point shot that was not upgraded from a common foul. In 2017, the NBA implemented the "Zaza rule" after former Spurs star Kawhi Leonard was injured in the playoffs when he landed on top of Zaza Pachulia's foot after an attempted three-pointer, and the WNBA followed suit. The league ruled that officials could upgrade the foul to a flagrant if the defender does not allow the shooter space to land safely.
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White said, "And the reckless closeout that they actually reviewed? And the foot still comes down on the defender's foot that wasn't upgraded? Absolutely disrespectful. We have a generational talent and a WNBA superstar who had two cheap shots right there that weren't called. And I just say again: absolutely unacceptable."
Stephanie White and Caitlin Clark on May 17, 2026Credit: Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty
"The fist in the throat is crazy. It's crazy. It's dangerous," White continued. "The landing spot? When you went to review it, and she still comes down on top of another foot? I don't know. Because to me that's like a do-over on a test, how do you screw it up again? When you have these things continue to happen time and time and time and time again, eventually it gets frustrating."
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The Fever head coach also told reporters she spent "all offseason looking at officiating" from the previous seasons. "And I still say the one thing that we keep asking for is consistency," White continued, claiming Clark "is not called the same way everybody else is called."
The Fever will next host the Los Angeles Sparks on Saturday, June 27.
on People
Source: “AOL Sports”
