Fever coach Stephanie White opens up about fan reception after turbulent week of WNBA controversy

White was cheered by the Indiana crowd ahead of the Fever's game against the Dallas Wings.She had been booed ahead of their most recent game against the New York Liberty on Tuesday, amid controversy over how she initially responded to a flagrant foul on Sophie Cunningham.But after Cunningham and Caitlin Clark defended White publicly, the fans went back to cheering for the coach on Friday.Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White gives instructions to Sophie Cunningham and Caitlin Clark against the Atlanta Dream at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on June 18, 2026, in Indianapolis, Ind.

(Getty Images)FEVER COACH STEPHANIE WHITE DODGES QUESTION ON GOP LETTER ABOUT CAITLIN CLARK’S TREATMENT IN WNBA"It means a lot, we love eachother in that locker room.And we know that there's a lot of people out there that are trying to tear it apart," White told reporters after the game.

"When we say we're a family, we mean that.It doesn't mean we always get along, it doesn't mean we always agree, but at the end of the day it means we circle our wagons and we have each other's back..."It means a lot to me personally, and obviously, any time you get an ovation from the crowd it's nice too.

I think our fans, the true Indiana Fever fans, are amazing.They've been incredible to me for a long time."White added that the players and coaches on her staff have been "lifting her up."Head coach Stephanie White and Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever watch on during a game against the Golden State Valkyries on May 28, 2026 at Chase Center in San Francisco, California.

(Matthew Huang/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)White's tough week began on last Saturday after her team's game against the Sky in Chicago.When asked about a now-infamous flagrant-2 foul by DiJonai Carrington against Cunningham, White appeared to give Carrington the benefit of the doubt and suggest that the foul wasn't on purpose.Then ahead of the Fever's Tuesday game against the Liberty, White dedicated her entire pre-game media avail...