Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham addressed the recent comments of coach Stephanie White about Dijonai Carrington’s controversial foul.
Cunningham has cleared the air between herself and Chicago Sky guard Carrington. At the same time, the Fever veteran defended Coach White amid the backlash she’s been receiving.
The former WNBA Coach of the Year received significant pushback from fans after she initially opted not to defend Cunningham against Carrington's foul, claiming that she did not see the play in real time. Fever fans booed White ahead of Tuesday's home game against the New York Liberty.
Following their 106-92 win over the Liberty, Cunningham spoke about how their team continues to support each other amid the turmoil. The 6-foot-1 guard also had some high praise for Carrington.
“Our locker room in there, it’s tight, and we have each other’s backs,” Cunningham said. “Coach loves us. She didn’t see the clip.
"And you know what, DiJonai is a hell of a player. She’s a great defender, and [White] coached her for I don’t know how many years up [with the Connecticut Sun], so give her her flowers. And she didn’t see it, and that’s okay.”
David Butler II-Imagn Images
Furthermore, Cunningham clarified that despite all the external comments and negative opinions about White, their relationship remains intact.
“Me and Steph are great,” Cunningham reiterated. “Steph is great with all of us, and so it’s really the outside noise that’s trying to distract us. But we’re good.”
Cunningham finished the game against the Liberty with 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting from downtown with two boards and one block.
She is among the five Indiana players who scored double digits in this game, along with Kelsey Mitchell (28 points), Caitlin Clark (22 points), Aliyah Boston (19 points) and Monique Billings (14 points).
With this latest win, the Fever solidified their place as the fourth seed in the standings with a 21-12 record. They have 11 games remaining in the regular season, starting with a matchup against the Dallas Wings on Friday.
