The Indiana Fever moved to 3-0 without Caitlin Clark this season. They went up against the perennial champions, the Las Vegas Aces, without their centerpiece and came out with a comfortable 84-68 win. Kelsey Mitchell continued to be the torchbearer of this side with 27 points, while Aliyah Boston dominated with 18 points and 10 rebounds. As coach Stephanie White celebrated a season-wide milestone, many Clark fans are interpreting it as a deliberate shade on their beloved star. 

“All right, y’all, great job. We did a lot of great things. I’m sure this has to be a season low: seven turnovers. When you take care of the ball, you give yourself a chance,” White said in her post-game locker room speech. “Thirteen offensive rebounds—extra possessions matter.”

It was their best game of the season when it comes to turnovers and the second best on the offensive rebounds. Their previous season low of turnovers was 11, coming against the Golden State Valkyries back in May. Considering they were the worst team in the league in that metric for a long time, it was a notable improvement that contributed to the win. 

“We were resilient early in the first quarter, and then we continued to climb throughout the rest of the game. I’m really proud of you guys,” White concluded. “That’s a great win. It’s a great effort.”

However, Caitlin Clark fans did not interpret it the same way. 

The player has long been criticized for her turnovers and averages a league-high 4.6 a game this year as well. And White starting out her speech in a Clark-less win with the turnovers did not sit right with some. 

Indiana fans doubt Stephanie White’s intentions

As fans watched the video of White’s locker room speech, they had some thoughts.

“Hahahaha Caitlin @CaitlinClark22 are you listening?? They are shading you in your face girl. And you protect them,” wrote a fan.

“I love how the org just allows the head coach to throw shade at CC and everyone here with a brain cell could see it,” pitched in another.

While one would see it as an overreaction, the recent history between Clark and White plays a part in this narrative.

There is a perceived disconnect between the two, where Clark is not fitting into White’s system. And some of the fans think White is trying to push Clark out, even if both have repeatedly denied any friction.  

“Even the coach works to undermine CC. It’s like a league mandate. I hope to God she leaves and plays in a proper league that will actually generate revenue,” wrote another fan.

Well, Clark has shown in the past that she is committed to the WNBA and playing under Stephanie White. She declined million-dollar-plus offers from leagues like the BIG3 and opted to not play in the Unrivaled as well. That is despite the 3v3 league offering her multiple times. But the fans remain concerned about the treatment Clark is receiving from the WNBA. 

“If she would put this much enthusiasm into protecting CC, they could be at the top of the standings,” another fan wrote. “She’s a very terrible coach.”

Nevertheless, some fans think that the others are reading too much into this postgame speech. 

“Turnovers were a larger team issue beyond just cc, lol. Any coach is gonna mention a season low in turnovers, especially when it’s against the team that had the best record. Mind you, you can hear Caitlin’s “woooow,” being funny about it,” wrote another fan. “Y’all’s seriously need to lighten up. 😂”

Beyond Caitlin Clark, the rest of the team also had high turnover averages. So, reducing it was a milestone moment for the team, which White acknowledged.