When DiJonai Carrington committed a Flagrant 2 foul on Sophie Cunningham during the August 8 game between the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky, Cunningham didn’t shy away from calling the play “intentional.” So, many expected head coach Stephanie White to back her player as well. However, White took a different approach and insisted that she did not believe the Sky guard intentionally targeted Cunningham.
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Her comments quickly drew backlash, but the Fever coach has now had enough of the criticism, and she has made that very clear in an emotionally charged address during her pregame media availability ahead of the Fever’s matchup against the New York Liberty, per The Athletic’s Annie Costabile.
“I take personally any suggestions that I don’t 100% always have my players’ backs. I ride with them 10 toes down 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 f****** playing,” White added.
“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 — doesn’t mean I’ll always get it right. I’m also human,” she added.
“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 a** on the line. … I stand by them. I will always stand by them. Everybody else can go to hell.”
Stephanie White and Carrington are not strangers to each other. Before taking over as the Fever’s head coach, White coached Carrington with the Connecticut Sun during the 2023 and 2024 seasons. So when White took a more sympathetic stance toward Carrington after the hard foul, many fans saw it as the Fever coach defending a former player over her own player, Cunningham.
But this is also not the first time White has faced major backlash from the Indiana fan base.
Earlier in the ongoing season, Stephanie White was on the hot seat after speculation around her relationship with Caitlin Clark was making rounds online.
Then, when Clark was involved in an incident where Alyssa Thomas made contact with her throat, White again found herself in the middle of controversy after speaking out against the backlash directed at Thomas following the incident.
So with another wave of criticism surrounding Stephanie White, there have been speculations that the Fever could potentially move on from their head coach. However, despite several influential voices like Indiana Lieutenant Governor Micah Beckwith and Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy calling for her firing, there has been no confirmed announcement from the franchise suggesting that Stephanie White is set to be fired.