Indiana Fever players Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham responded after coach Stephanie White delivered an unusually forceful pre-match defence of herself following criticism of her reaction to an on-court incident involving Cunningham. The episode matters because it has drawn attention to player safety, officiating and the growing scrutiny surrounding the WNBA.

White’s remarks came before Indiana’s 106–92 victory over the New York Liberty on Tuesday. She had been criticised after saying on Saturday that she did not believe Chicago Sky player DiJonai Carrington’s hit to Cunningham’s face was intentional; the article says White used her full pre-game media availability to address that criticism.