Caitlin Clark defends Stephanie White after fans boo Fever coach

Caitlin Clark came to Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White's defense after fans at Gainbridge Fieldhouse booed the coach before a win over the New York Liberty on Tuesday, Aug. 11.

Following the Fever's 106-92 win over the Liberty, in which Clark finished with her 10th double-double of the season with 22 points and 10 assists, the former Iowa women's basketball star backed White during her postgame press conference.

"I think we forget a lot of times that we're human, and (White) has feelings, and there's moments that are really hard," Clark said. "Sometimes that's just the job you sign up for, but at the same time, it's OK to feel those emotions."

White has faced fan criticism throughout the season, most recently after some believed she defended Chicago Sky guard DiJonai Carrington following a foul Carrington committed that struck Fever guard Sophie Cunningham in the face during an Aug. 8 game.

During her pregame press conference on Tuesday, White denounced people online "trying to create narratives that simply don't exist," and "trying to create a fabrication or distortion of who I am or what I'm about."

White, who returned as Indiana's head coach in 2025 after a previous stint from 2015-16, also addressed the Carrington-Cunningham incident. Following the Sky game on Aug. 8, White said she didn't think Carrington intentionally went after Cunningham or meant to make contact with her face.

"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," White said Aug. 11. "I thought the play got called right. Thankfully, Sophie's OK. 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," White said.

When asked about her reactions to what White said before Tuesday's game, Clark said she stands by her coach and that "there was no way we were losing this game for her."

"It's tough. Like, that's my head coach. I hated that our fans booed her before the game," Clark said. "That made me a little sick, to be honest. You can disagree and this and that, 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."

Clark also appeared to address the persistent media attention and outside scrutiny surrounding the Fever this season, including debates over her treatment by other WNBA players and controversy sparked by Cunningham's comments on transgender women in sports in an ESPN article last month.

"I think our world is just like, we love to hate, we love to divide, like, that's all we want to do," Clark said. "Nobody wants to see each other succeed, and I think that's a really painful thing for myself to watch."

Clark said the outside noise the team has faced recently won't break up the locker room, and she's been right for the most part. Indiana is fourth in the standings at 21-12, including an 11-4 record in its past 15 games.

"These women are playing incredible basketball, and they deserve to be celebrated for that," White said. "There are winners in that locker room. They pull for each other... It's good vibes. It's everybody else that wants to divide us, our team and our league."

The Fever are back at Gainbridge Fieldhouse Friday, Aug. 14 against the Dallas Wings. Tipoff is at 6:30 p.m. CT, and fans can watch it on ION.

Cooper Worth is a service/trending reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at cworth@gannett.com or follow him on X @CooperAWorth.

This article originally appeared on Hawk Central: Caitlin Clark defends Stephanie White after fans boo Fever coach