INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White spent her entire pregame media availability before the Fever took on the New York Liberty discussing false narratives about her team and the safety of her players on Tuesday.
White entered the Collins/Fuson Interview Room just after 6 p.m. ET and sat down to answer questions. But none were asked. White spoke for 150 seconds, largely uninterrupted, before standing and walking away from the dais and out of the room.
“This isn’t necessarily for those people that are in this room. This is more for an online community that’s trying to create narratives that simply don’t exist, trying to create a fabrication or distortion of who I am, of what I’m about. Our players’ success, our players’ health and wellness, our players’ safety is always a top priority for me. One of the things I pride myself on is my relationships with players,” White began before referencing reaction to a recent hard foul committed by Chicago Sky guard DiJonai Carrington against Sophie Cunningham on Saturday.
“For those who have anything to say about the play in the last game, I didn’t see the play in real time. I went straight to a press conference. I thought the play got called right. Thankfully, Sophie’s okay. Was it egregious? Absolutely. When you have a chance to watch that over and over and over on replay, you can see that. I didn’t have that in real time. I take personally 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. They know that. It’s a shame that we can’t have an opportunity to talk about what great basketball they’re playing. Because they are fucking playing.”
The Fever are 8-3 across their last 11 games and have wins over the Liberty and Las Vegas Aces in that stretch. They are playing well as of late and currently hold the league’s best offensive rating.
“I think there’s just been a lot of outside noise,” forward Sophie Cunningham said postgame. “But our locker room is good. And that’s what it is to be an Indiana Fever.”
About a half hour before White spoke, star guard Caitlin Clark shared her thoughts on her team’s ability to block out outside noise. She loves the fun that her teammates have together and believes their internal emotions don’t match outside narratives in the slightest, a message that has been shared throughout much of the season.
“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,” White continued. “Doesn’t mean I will always get it right. I’m also human. The hate, the fear mongering, 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 will always stand by them. Everybody else can go to hell.”
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As White was introduced as the Fever’s head coach after the starting lineups were announced, there were more boos in Gainbridge Fieldhouse than there have been throughout the season.
“I can assure you there was no way we were losing this game tonight,” Clark said postgame. “And I told (White) that before the game. There was no way we were losing this game for her. And 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.”
The Fever are 44-32 since White took over as head coach before the start of the 2025 WNBA season.
“Coach White has done a tremendous job leading the Fever and, for the second consecutive season, has us in great position for a playoff push. She has kept our team focused and united, all while under the brightest spotlight our team and our league have ever experienced. She has the full support of leadership,” Team President Kelly Krauskopf said in a statement about 30 minutes before tipoff.
