Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White denounced racism and all forms of hate after Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas revealed she was subjected to online abuse in the aftermath of her on-court incident with Caitlin Clark.
One day after Thomas said she faced death threats and racial slurs, White condemned anyone engaging in that “absolutely unacceptable” behavior.
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“I think as a league, as a whole, there’s been so much more toxicity, racism, homophobia, straight-out nonsense… it is absolutely unacceptable,” White said at practice on Wednesday, July 1. “If you are one of these people that are online doing this, do not call yourself a WNBA fan.”
White also said she believes a majority of the toxic discourse impacting Thomas is the direct result of online agitators using the situation to push an agenda, rather than the real reactions of true fans of the Fever or the league.
“I truly believe that it is an online community that is using our league, that is using our players to continue to further divisive, hateful narratives,” she added. “We are not about continuing this narrative, and it’s just absolutely unacceptable… We’ve got to continue to support our players in our league.”
More: Mercury’s Alyssa Thomas calls for WNBA to protect all players after death threats
Thomas was retroactively handed a one-game suspension for “recklessly” making contact with Clark’s throat during the Phoenix Mercury‘s 111-109 win over the Indiana Fever on June 24. No foul was initially called on the play, prompting White to criticize the officials for allowing “cheap shots” on Clark.
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Thomas said the contact with Clark was “a complete accident” on Tuesday.
Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts later addressed White by name and shot down any implications that the act was intentional, saying White, “knows what (Thomas) stands for and what she’s about.” White coached Thomas on the Connecticut Sun from 2023-2024 before taking over as head coach of the Fever in 2025.
“The people in this league know who (Alyssa Thomas) is. She’s a competitor, she’s a winner, and she’s tough. The one thing she is not is cheap,” Tibbetts said on June 27. “I respect (Stephanie) White. I got to know her with USA basketball. I respect her as a coach and a person, and I understand her sticking up for Caitlin (Clark) in this situation. But to say that we had two cheap shots in that game, to me is ridiculous. Steph knows (Thomas).”
On Wednesday, White said she hadn’t spoken to either Thomas or Tibbetts, adding that she planned to connect with them at the Fever’s upcoming matchup against the Mercury in Phoenix on July 9.
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“Finding out about her comments last night, I just wanted to address it,” White added. “From a human standpoint, checking on one another is important too.”
More: Mercury’s Alyssa Thomas calls for WNBA to protect all players after death threats
Thomas said the fallout has directly impacted her family’s safety, citing racial slurs, death threats and even her address being leaked online. Thomas said she faced similar vitriol during the 2024 WNBA playoffs when the Sun, who Thomas played for from 2014-2024, defeated the Fever in the first round.
White said she recalled the series. “I remember our players talking about it. I remember myself talking about it,” she said.
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When asked if fan behavior has improved since then, White said, “I don’t know. I don’t know if fan behavior has improved. I don’t feel like legitimate WNBA fans are the ones that we’re talking about. Our league is about inclusiveness. Our league is about competition. Our league is about elevating, elevating women, elevating marginalized communities, including and being inclusive of all different walks of life.”
“That is what our league has always been about from day one. That is what our league will continue to be about.”
On Tuesday, Engelbert issued a statement that says the league “vehemently condemns any and all forms of hate.”
“The safety and well-being of everyone in our community is always the league’s top priority,” Engelbert said in the statement. “We are aware of Alyssa Thomas’ comments, and what she and her teammates have experienced is completely unacceptable and not representative of the WNBA community. The league and our security team have been in contact with the Phoenix Mercury organization and remain committed to protecting all players.”
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Reach USA TODAY National Women’s Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson at chenderson@gannett.com and follow her on X at @CydHenderson.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Stephanie White condemns ‘unacceptable’ racist online abuse of Alyssa Thomas
