Indiana Fever coach slams officiating after Caitlin Clark's injury

Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White has expressed outrage over the officiating in Wednesday's 111-109 loss to the Phoenix Mercury, claiming star player Caitlin Clark was subjected to two dangerous plays that went uncalled.

Clark exited the game in the second half with a back injury after a series of physical encounters. In the third quarter, Alyssa Thomas appeared to knee Clark in the groin and push her fist into her neck during a scramble for the ball, with no foul whistled. Shortly after, Clark was fouled on a three-point attempt, leading to an awkward landing that left her visibly uncomfortable. Officials reviewed the incident but focused on whether Clark had committed a hostile act by hitting a defender in the face, rather than penalizing the foul on her.

"We have a generational talent and a WNBA superstar who had two cheap shots right there that weren't called," White said. "Absolutely unacceptable."

White highlighted ongoing concerns about consistency in officiating, noting that Clark is not called the same way as other players. "We spent all off-season looking at officiating. And I still say the one thing that we keep asking for is consistency."

The game followed a heated matchup earlier in the week, which the Fever won 88-77 but was also marred by fouls and confrontations. White described the fist-to-throat incident as "crazy" and "dangerous."

"When you have these things continue to happen time and time and time again, eventually it gets frustrating, but I thought those were just more egregious," she added.

Caitlin Clark, the top pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, is one of women's basketball's biggest stars. She scored over 3,900 points in college at Iowa, a record for any male or female player, and her performances drew record viewership in the United States.