Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White didn’t hold back during her press conference on Wednesday. She started the whole thing by addressing the Alyssa Thomas situation head on. And she made it crystal clear where she stands.
Thomas says she’s been getting death threats after that controversial moment where her hand made contact with Caitlin Clark’s throat during a game. It was a play that got Thomas a one-game suspension. But the fallout has been way uglier than any league disciplinary action.
“First and foremost, it is absolutely unacceptable,” White told reporters. “I think as a league, as a whole, there’s been so much more toxicity, racism, homophobia, straight out nonsense. Hate nonsense. And it is absolutely unacceptable.”
White didn’t stop there. She made a point to separate real WNBA fans from the people she believes are just using the league as a vehicle for their own garbage.
The coach draws a line
“Most of this, in my heart of hearts, I believe is not coming from WNBA fans, Indiana Fever fans,” White said. “I believe that this is people who are using our league, using our players, to further divisive agendas.”
That’s a pretty direct way of saying: don’t lump the actual fans in with the trolls.
Thomas called out the WNBA earlier this week for what she saw as a lack of action after the league’s initial silence on the situation. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert eventually put out a statement Tuesday condemning the hateful comments. But by then, Thomas said the damage was already done. She claimed the league only gave her a few minutes of notice before the suspension news broke on social media. Then the messages started flooding in.
White basically said anyone sending that kind of vitriol doesn’t get to call themselves a fan.
“It’s not hard to not be a jerk,” she added. “And if you are one of these people who are online doing this, do not call yourself a WNBA fan.”
It’s worth noting White went out of her way to defend Thomas even though Thomas plays for the Connecticut Sun, not the Fever. That’s not something every coach does, but White made it sound like it wasn’t even a question.
The Fever are sitting at 11-8 heading into July, good enough for a playoff spot right now. But this whole mess has become a league-wide conversation that’s bigger than any one game or one team.
Next up for Indiana is a road game against the Aces. That one tips off at 7PM ET on July 5th from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The basketball will be there. But the conversation about fan behavior and player safety isn’t going anywhere.
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