Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White has strongly criticized WNBA officials after star player Caitlin Clark endured several hard, uncalled hits—including a fist to the throat—during Wednesday night's 111-109 loss to the Phoenix Mercury. Clark exited the game in the third quarter with a back injury.
While White did not directly link Clark's injury to the missed calls, she argued that the game exemplified a troubling pattern of Clark 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. “And I just say, again, [it’s] absolutely unacceptable.”
Incidents in the Second Quarter
In the second quarter, Clark drove into the lane and fell on her side after contact. Mercury forwards DeWanna Bonner and Alyssa Thomas scrambled for the ball, during which Thomas appeared to knee Clark in the groin and then push a closed fist into Clark's neck. Clark managed to pass to teammate Aliyah Boston as Thomas got up and stepped over her.
Less than a minute later, Mercury forward Valeriane Ayayi fouled Clark on a three-point attempt. Clark landed on Ayayi's foot upon coming down. White argued the foul should have been upgraded to a flagrant for restricting Clark's landing space, but officials upheld it as a common foul after review.
White's Outburst and Context
“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 referenced the Fever and Mercury's Monday night matchup, which the Fever won 86-77 but featured six technical fouls and one ejection.
WNBA officiating has been under scrutiny all season. Following complaints about physicality and inconsistency last year, a league taskforce—including White—was assembled to improve officiating. Officials were instructed to enforce rules consistently, especially regarding freedom of movement, leading to a sharp increase in foul calls early this season.
Clark's Performance and Fever's Struggles
Clark had 19 points before leaving the game with a back injury in the third quarter. She previously sat out a game last month due to back issues. After missing most 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, preseason title contenders, have struggled with consistency: they lead the WNBA in offensive scoring (92.1 points per game) but rank third-worst in defense (88.9) and have allowed 100 points in seven of 18 games.
“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.”
