WNBA fans, players, coaches and media members are speaking out. Does Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White have the toughest job in sports?
Many in the WNBA community believe so.
White, the head coach of Caitlin Clark, Sophie Cunningham and Co., is constantly under scrutiny. While the Fever have been playing well this year, she's faced constant criticism on social media. White recently spoke out against the outside forces that are trying to cause chaos within the WNBA.
"This isn't necessarily for people that are in this room. This is more for an online community that is trying to create narratives that simply don't exist. Trying to create a fabrication or distortion of who I am and what I'm about. Our player's success, our player's health and wellness, our player's safety, is always a top priority for me. One of the things I pride myself on is my relationships with players," White began.
"For those who have anything to say about the play in the last game. I didn't see the play in real time. I went straight to a press conference. I thought the play got called right. Thankfully Sophie's OK. Was it egregious? Absolutely. When you have a chance to watch that over and over on replay, you can see that. I didn't have that in real time. I take personally any suggestions that I don't 100-percent always have my players back. I ride with them 10 toes down all the time. All the time. They know that.
Matt Blewett-Imagn Images.
"It's a shame that we can't have an opportunity to talk about what great basketball they're playing. Because they are (expletive) playing. The reality is with me, I will always lead with love. I will always lead with grace. I will always lead with humility. And I will always lead with integrity. It doesn't mean I will always get it right. I'm also human.
"The hate, the fear-mongering, the divisiveness, the stuff that's trying to hijack our league will not win. It won't win. 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 (expletive)."
Amid all the craziness, many within the WNBA are speaking out, coming to White's defense.
White has 'toughest' job in the sport
"Some of the things that Steph has to go through... There's no other coach in any professional sport that has to go through the stuff that she does... It's not fair. She's hired to coach basketball," Nate Tibbetts, the incumbent head coach of the Phoenix Mercury, said this weekend.
Fans agree.
"She gets no credit and all the blame, always," one wrote.
"Toughest job in sports right now," one added.
What do you make of the job Stephanie White has been doing?
