Fever coach Stephanie White says divisiveness 'will not win' during pregame rant
- Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White expressed frustration over off-court issues overshadowing basketball.
- White criticized divisiveness in the league, stating it will not prevail.
- She defended her players after facing backlash for her comments on a flagrant foul during a recent game.
- The Fever won their game against the New York Liberty 106-92, showcasing strong performance on the court.
- Caitlin Clark, an All-Star player, supported White and expressed disappointment over fans booing her before the game.
Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White has had enough of the conversations around the WNBA this season that aren’t about basketball. On Tuesday, she finally lashed out. The 2023 WNBA Coach of the Year and one of the original Fever players angrily defended herself after she was criticized for her response to DiJonai Carrington’s flagrant foul on Sophie Cunningham, and pleaded with people to focus on the sport and not the continual sideshows.
“The hate, the fearmongering, the divisiveness that’s trying to hijack our league will not win. It won’t win,” White said, her voice rising as she pounded the table in front of her. “We are united. We are connected. We will not be divided. Every day these women put their ass on the line. Every day when they go low, we go high. Love will win. Grace will win. Humility will win and kindness will win. I stand by them, I will always stand by them. Everybody else can go to hell.”
White left immediately after her 2 1/2-minute outburst ended without taking questions. Indiana responded with one of its best halves of the season, shooting 59% from the field and 79% on 3-pointers on its way to a 106-92 victory over the New York Liberty. The Fever have won seven of their last nine despite being the focal point of so many controversies.
Fever主教练斯蒂芬妮·怀特在赛前发言中表示分裂不会胜利
印第安纳费弗队主教练斯蒂芬妮·怀特对本赛季WNBA中与篮球无关的讨论感到厌倦。周二，她终于发声。作为2023年WNBA年度最佳教练和费弗队的原始球员之一，怀特在因对迪乔奈·卡林顿对索菲·坎宁汉的恶意犯规的回应受到批评后，愤怒地为自己辩护，并恳请人们关注比赛，而不是不断的旁支问题。
“仇恨、恐吓和试图劫持我们联盟的分裂不会胜利。这不会胜利，”怀特在桌子上用力敲打时声音提高说道。“我们团结一致。我们相互联系。我们不会被分裂。每天这些女性都在冒险。每天当他们低落时，我们就要高昂。爱会胜利。优雅会胜利。谦逊会胜利，善良会胜利。我支持她们，我将永远支持她们。其他人可以去死。”
怀特在她的发言结束后立即离开，没有接受提问。印第安纳队在比赛中表现出色，上半场投篮命中率达到59%，三分球命中率达到79%，最终以106-92战胜纽约自由队。尽管面临许多争议，费弗队在最近九场比赛中赢得了七场。