Caitlin Clark had a one-shot, two-birds moment this Tuesday. Following the Indiana Fever’s blowout 106-92 win over the New York Liberty, the Fever guard took the mic to defend HC Stephanie White.

"I think we forget a lot of times, like, we're human, and she has feelings," Clark said in the postgame conference. “I hated that our fans booed her before the game. That made me a little sick… It's professional sports. People are going to boo, but at the end of the day, that's our head coach…”

The incident that made Clark 'a little sick' was a portion of fans booing Coach White during the pregame introductions when she was announced. The ups and downs the Fever have been through lately are no joke. However, the booing was probably the hardest nail in the coffin.

It all boils down to Chicago Sky star DiJonai Carrington’s Flagrant 2 foul on Fever’s Sophie Cunningham on August 8. Many fans believed the coach didn’t defend her own player enough following the hard foul. But Clark reaffirmed the unity in the locker room.

“I told her that before the game. There was no way we were losing this game for her,” she added to the same segment. “We're going to ride for her, and we're always going to have her back. It's never going to tear our locker room apart."

The locker room has each other’s backs; the players came off an amazing game. If anything, White matched Clark’s sentiments.

Stephanie White Addresses Locker-Room Loyalty

Surely Clark already articulated her point on Fever’s locker room culture and the fact that players will back up their coach anytime. White had a similar take, except hers was fierier. The frustration could be seen, heard, and felt.

“I take personally any suggestions that I don't 100% always have my players' backs. I ride with them 10 toes down all the time,” she said in the pregame conference. “It's a shame that we can't have an opportunity to talk about what great basketball they're playing.”

The coach concluded that she’ll choose integrity, grace and love over anything, and defend her players just as much as the players do, regardless of what kind of new narrative surfaces.

What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Deblina Roy