Phoenix Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts defended Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White amid current controversies.
Ahead of their game against the Portland Fire on Sunday, coach Tibbetts was asked about the league’s current state during his practice-day media availability.
Tibbetts didn’t hold back on his opinion, saying that the league should focus on the great things that are happening in the league rather than dwell on negativity.
“To be honest, thank you for asking, it really pisses me off,” Tibbetts said. “It’s disappointing. This is a great league. We’ve got great players. There are great stories, great rookies, great teams. ... I don’t know why that happens in our league. It’s disappointing.”
The former University of South Dakota player also gave his take about the ongoing saga that Fever coach White has been going through for the past week.
“Some of the things that Steph has to go through, that's wrong," Tibbetts continued. “There's no other coach in any professional sport that has to go through the stuff that she does. I think it's her life. It's not fair.”
White has been at the center of controversy over her postgame comments about Chicago Sky player DiJonai Carrington during their Aug. 8 game. This was after Carrington committed a hard foul on Sophie Cunningham.
White received boos from home fans when they hosted the New York Liberty on Tuesday. But a game later, supporters cheered for WHite when they welcomed the Dallas Wings on Friday.
Tibbetts proclaimed that it’s been unfair treatment toward White, despite all the success she and her team have had this season.
“She's hired to coach basketball," continued the Mercury coach. "They've got a great team. They're just dealing with stuff that doesn't really matter. That stuff pisses me off.”
Indiana is currently riding a three-game win streak, while the Mercury are looking to extend their streak to two against the Fire.
