Over the past several days, there has been a lot of conversation about the heated exchange between Caitlin Clark and Fever head coach Stephanie White during Saturday’s loss to the Portland Fire. Both Clark and White have downplayed the encounter, with the coach adding that she does not think it would have received nearly as much attention if the it happened in men’s basketball. However, one WNBA legend is not so sure.
After White’s claim that the situation was overblown because it was women’s basketball instead of men’s basketball, WNBA legend Candace Parker does not agree, as she compared the situation to a similar incident between Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green and head coach Steve Kerr.
White Dowplays the Incident
Following the incident on Saturday, White has downplayed the heated exchange with Clark, saying that she was simply “challenging” Clark and that it would not have received the same attention had it been during a men’s NBA game.
“I think what happened in that moment is I was challenging a player,” White said via ESPN. “It’s coaching, it’s what it is. And I don’t often think it becomes an issue if you’re watching it in men’s sports most of the time.
“We’re both competitive, we’re both stubborn. We’re more alike than different and hopefully we continue to bring the best out of each other.”
Candace Parker Disagrees
While White is certainly entitled to her opinion, WNBA legend Candace Parker made it pretty clear that she disagrees with White’s argument.
“I don’t necessarily agree with Steph in her assessment of, if this was men’s sports, because we watched Draymond go back at Steve Kerr, and that was in a huddle, and that was put on all media outlets,” she said during an appearance on the Post Moves podcast this week. “So, I just think that now there are going to be more cameras on the huddles.
“There is going to be more attention, more money, and more problems. That’s just what it is. So, I think, everyone chilling out. Do I think it was overblown for people that have been in those huddles? Yes. But at the end of the day people are talking about it.”
Parker is referring to an incident that occurred back in 2025 when Green and Kerr got into a heated exchange during a timeout, resulting in Green removing himself from the court and going back into the locker room. The incident was arguably the biggest story in sports at the time, and Parker seems to be using that as evidence that the media attention had nothing to do with gender.
Regardless, it was certainly a high-profile incident and not the type of attention the Fever would like to have going forward, even if it did bring the headlines to the WNBA.
About Dave Kelsey
Contributing author to The Comeback.