Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White slammed WNBA referees for missing two “cheap shots” committed against Caitlin Clark in the Fever’s 111-109 loss to the Phoenix Mercury, a contest that Clark exited early due to injury.
“It’s absolutely egregious and utterly disrespectful,” White said in a fiery postgame press conference.
Phoenix forward Alyssa Thomas pushed down on Clark’s neck with a her fist and appeared to step over her while competing for a loose ball in the second quarter. No foul was called on the play and it wasn’t reviewed despite being brought to the officials’ attention at halftime, White said.
“They didn’t see it,” White said. “The fist in the throat is crazy. It’s crazy. It’s dangerous.”
Stephanie White when asked about Alyssa Thomas’ play on Caitlin Clark:
“It was egregious. The fact that it was a no-call … You gotta call it. It’s absolutely egregious and utterly disrespectful.”pic.twitter.com/btARwvPxmD
— Underdog WNBA (@UnderdogWNBA) June 25, 2026
Clark exited the game with 5:15 remaining in the third quarter after appearing to tweak her back after Phoenix’s Valeriane Ayayi didn’t provide Clark a clear landing space on a 3-point attempt. Clark landed on Ayayi’s foot and fell to the ground grabbing her back. A personal foul was called on Ayayi, but referees didn’t upgrade the play to a reckless closeout following a review.
“We have a generational talent and a WNBA superstar who had two cheap shots right there that weren’t called. And I just say again, absolutely unacceptable,” said White. “And the reckless closeout that they actually reviewed and the foot still comes down on top of the defender’s foot, that wasn’t upgraded. Absolutely disrespectful. To me that’s like a do-over on a test. How do you screw it up again?”
White said that it’s “absolutely unacceptable” that the referees didn’t control the level of physicality on Wednesday considering how Monday ended. Wednesday’s matchup between the Fever and Mercury marked their second matchup in three days. The Fever took the first matchup 86-77 on Monday in an emotional duel that resulted in six technical fouls and one ejection. Both Clark and Thomas received a technical that game.
“You’re coming in here aware of what happened two nights ago and that (expletive) still happens,” said White, who is part of the WNBA’s Officiating task force, created to reduce rough play in the league. “I mean, we spent all offseason looking at officiating. All offseason and I still say the one thing that we keep asking for is consistency. … (Clark) has not (been) called the same way everybody else is called.”
White said she’s speaking out against the treatment of her star player because it’s continued to happen “time and time and time and time and time again.” She added, “Eventually it gets frustrating.”
Clark exited with the contest with 19 points and eight assists.
Reach USA TODAY National Women’s Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson at chenderson@gannett.com and follow her on X at @CydHenderson.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fever’s Stephanie White calls out ‘cheap shots’ on Caitlin Clark
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