Fever coach slams WNBA refs after ‘cheap shots’ on Caitlin Clark: ‘Utterly disrespectful’

Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White has sounded off on WNBA officials after star player Caitlin Clark took several hard uncalled hits, including a fist to the throat, during Wednesday night’s loss to the Phoenix Mercury, a game that Clark exited in the third quarter with a back injury.

White did not link Clark’s injury to the no-calls, but did claim that the game was the latest instance in a pattern of the third-year guard being officiated differently from other WNBA players.

“We have a generational talent and a WNBA superstar who had two cheap shots right there that weren’t called,” White said in the postgame news conference after the Fever’s 111-109 home loss. “And I just say, again, [it’s] absolutely unacceptable.”

In the second quarter, Clark was driving into the lane and fell on her side after contact. Mercury forwards DeWanna Bonner and Alyssa Thomas dove for the ball, and in the jostle Thomas appeared to knee Clark in the groin and then push her closed fist into Clark’s neck. Clark managed to complete a pass to teammate Aliyah Boston as Thomas got up and stepped over her.

Less than a minute later, Mercury forward Valeriane Ayayi fouled Clark as she was taking a three-pointer. Clark landed on Ayayi’s foot as she came down from her jump; White argued that it should have been elevated to a flagrant foul for restricting Clark’s space to land, but after a review the officials elected to keep it as a common foul.

“No 1, you gotta call it. It’s absolutely egregious and utterly disrespectful,” White said. “And then No 2, you’re coming in here aware of what happened two nights ago, and that shit still happens? Absolutely unacceptable.”

White was referencing the Fever and Mercury’s matchup on Monday night, when the Fever won 86-77 in a game that had six technical fouls – including ones given to Clark and Thomas – and one ejection.

Clark had 19 points before she left the game in the third quarter with a back injury. She sat out a game last month because of back issues. After missing the majority of last season with groin and ankle injuries, the 2024 Rookie of the Year is averaging 21.2 points and 8.2 assists this season. The Fever, who entered the season as title contenders, have struggled with consistency: they lead the WNBA in offensive scoring (92.1 points per game) but are third-worst in defense (88.9) and have given up 100 points in seven of their 18 games.

WNBA officiating has been under the spotlight this season. After outcry over physicality and inconsistency in referee decisions last year, a league taskforce was assembled – an effort spearheaded by a group of coaches, including White. Officials have been instructed this season to practice consistent enforcement of the existing league rules, especially as they pertain to freedom of movement; as a result, there was a sharp uptick in foul calls in the start to this season.

“We spent all offseason looking at officiating, and I still say the one thing that we keep asking for is consistency,” White said. “[Clark] is not called the same way as everybody else is called. The fist in the throat is crazy. It’s crazy. It’s dangerous. ... When you have these things continue to happen time and time and time again, eventually it gets frustrating.”