There was a lot of talk about Caitlin Clark and Stephanie White's heated exchange in the Indiana Fever bench during their 100-84 blowout loss to the Portland Fire on Saturday.
The frustration was evident throughout the team as they faced a 20-point deficit against Portland at one point in the game. A video of Clark and White appearing to have a shouting match on the bench began circulating online.
Both Clark and White played down the supposed incident during Monday's practice as they spoke to reporters separately. Both player and coach described the moment as a normal in-game interaction between two highly competitive individuals. Both Clark and White also doubled down on how much respect and admiration they have for each other.
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A reporter asked White to share her thoughts on "player-coach tension" amid this supposed issue with her superstar. The veteran coach explained why she believes this is all just part of the competition.
"Yeah, I mean, this is not new," White said. "It's not a new thing. It's just new because everything that she does gets clicks. That's how everybody makes money, right? That's how everybody makes money.
"So it's not a new thing. When there was player confrontation, tension, or coaching issues 10 years ago, 15 years ago, however long ago it was, it wasn't on social media. Social media was just getting started.
"It happens in every sport. It happens in all walks of life. So this is not anything new.
And it's not a story."
White will need every bit of her competitive fire to get her team out of their current two-game losing skid. The same can be said of Clark, who will need to be at her best when they return to the court on Thursday.
It will be a marquee matchup for Indiana as they host Angel Reese and the Atlanta Dream at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. It will be the first matchup between Clark and Reese following the latter's offseason trade to Atlanta.
