Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham addressed a viral pre-game rant by their head coach after the Indiana Fever’s 106-92 win over the New York Liberty on Tuesday.
Fever coach Stephanie White dedicated her entire pre-game media availability to delivering a rant in defense of herself after she faced criticism for her response on Saturday to an incident when Chicago Sky player DiJonai Carrington smacked Cunningham in the face.
White initially told reporters Saturday that she didn’t believe the hit was intentional, before declaring Tuesday that after watching footage, she believed the hit was “egregious.”
Cunningham showed support for White after Tuesday’s win.
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“There’s just been a lot of outside noise,” Cunningham said. “But our locker room is good.”
“Our locker room in there, it’s tight, and we have each other’s backs,” she said. “Coach loves us.”
Cunningham even defended White’s first comments about the foul. White had praised Carrington’s competitive nature after the game while agreeing with the officials’ decision to eject her. Cunningham said White lacked a full view of the play when she spoke.
“She didn’t see the clip,” Cunningham said. “At the end of the day, she didn’t see the clip.”
White said Tuesday of the hit, “I didn’t see the play in real time. I went straight to a press conference. I thought the play got called right. Thankfully, Sophie’s okay. Was it egregious? Absolutely. When you have a chance to watch that over and over and over on replay, you can see that. I didn’t have that in real time.”
Cunningham noted that White coached Carrington for two seasons with the Connecticut Sun. She said White could recognize Carrington’s ability and still support her own player. Cunningham did not view White’s comments as a betrayal.
“She is a hell of a player. She’s a great defender,” Cunningham said of Carrington. “Give her her flowers, and she didn’t see it. And that’s OK.”
Cunningham then removed any doubt about her relationship with White.
“Me and Steph are great,” she said. “Steph is great with all of us.”
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Cunningham then shifted attention back to basketball. She said she no longer worried about the outside reaction.
“I really don’t care anymore,” Cunningham said. “I’m trying to keep the main thing the main thing.”
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