After Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark and coach Stephanie White publicly discussed their viral encounter during a timeout last weekend, basketball legend Cheryl Miller believes it’s time to cut Clark some slack.
“The amount of pressure that is on this young lady … living up to what everybody expects her to be and do can be a little bit overwhelming. So I’m going to give her some grace,” Miller said Monday night during Peacock’s WNBA coverage. “And she’s right about one thing: I’ve been in situations like that before that have played out publicly. I can understand where she’s coming from.”
The discussion stems from a moment caught on camera Saturday night in a Fever loss to the Portland Fire. During a timeout, White lit into the team and Clark animatedly addressed White, who then substituted her out of the game.
Buy Caitlin Clark merch!
After Fever practice Monday, White and Clark backed each other.
“First of all, (this is) two people being competitive, two people who really want to win,” Clark said. “I ride for Steph, I ride for these girls. Steph has my back more than anybody. Nobody in our locker room, Steph or our coaching staff thought twice about it.”
“I was challenging a player,” White said. “It’s coaching, it’s what it is. I don’t often think it becomes an issue when you’re watching men’s sports. My relationship with Caitlin is great. I love Caitlin, I ride with her.”
Miller and Bird said they’ve been in similar situations many times, just without the spotlight that’s on Clark.
“Coach/player relationship matters,” Bird said. “When she’s frustrated on the court, when she’s not getting calls. … How are you going to handle that moment next time?”
Over the weekend, Miller and Bird discussed the viral moment and the way opponents attack Clark on defense.
Miller: “It’s one thing to have it behind closed doors, but (it’s another thing) when it spills over, and when the coach has to basically say ‘you know what Caitlin, enough is enough, this is too disruptive, in and out, take a seat.'”
Bird: “It’s not that crazy. It’s not the first time we’ve seen this. It doesn’t have some deeper meaning to it. I had moments like that with coaches. I think it speaks to player-coach relationships.”
Get IndyStar’s Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter. Subscribe to IndyStar TV: Fever for in-depth analysis, behind-the-scenes coverage and more.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: From place of empathy, Cheryl Miller wants to give Caitlin Clark ‘some grace’ after viral comments
Reporting by Scott Horner, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
