The New York Liberty stormed back from a 12-point deficit to take down the Indiana Fever 83-75 on Saturday night at Barclays Center.
Amid Indiana’s brutal collapse, many also highlighted an argument between Liberty’s Breanna Stewart and a Liberty coach, comparing it to the much-debated incident between Caitlin Clark and Stephanie White days earlier.
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Breanna Stewart’s Argument With Liberty Coach Sparks Debate Over Double Standards
With the Liberty’s Sabrina Ionescu missing the game (back soreness), Stewart answered the call for New York. She poured in 30 points, secured 8 rebounds, and single-handedly shifted the momentum, shooting an absurd 18-for-21 from the free-throw line.
And given the physical play and high stakes of the matchup, emotions naturally boiled over as Stewart became visibly animated during an exchange with one of the coaches.
The interaction featured plenty of gesturing and pointed words, and basketball content creator Venom shared the clip of the moment, saying,
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“Caitlin Clark had a sideline spat with Stephanie White, and they weaponized the entire WNBA media against her. Y’all remember that, right? Clark was called the diva, unculturable…”
Venom noted that Clark had received different treatment for an identical situation just days prior.
Clark and White shared a fiery exchange on the sideline during a loss to the Portland Fire.
“So, is this going to be blown out of proportion? Is Breanna Stewart going to be called a diva? Is Breanna Stewart going to be called uncoachable? I wanna say, ay keep the same energy,” Venom added.
Taking note of the seeming bias in coverage of both incidents, the WNBA world did not mince words, with one user posting, “Anyone going to say Stewie isn’t a team player and is a pain in the a**?”
“Absolutely uncoachable. lol. WNBA brass, media. Is so unserious. This nothing and was a national story with CC,” another user remarked.
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“But Stewie is strong, assertive, a leader,” one user commented.
“Breanna Stewart in a yelling match with her coach on the bench during the timeout. Will we hear about it NON-STOP for the next three days?” another pondered.
“I assume Stewart will get ripped apart for this. Right?” one more user chimed in.
“Are we getting a week of think pieces about this too, or have we finally accepted that players and coaches get heated on the bench sometimes?” another user questioned.
The backlash of the Clark-White altercation was overwhelming, with many even urging Indiana to part ways with the head coach.
The rumors and speculations of a fallout forced both of them to eventually issue clarifications.
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Nonetheless, the sideline controversy has overshadowed a legitimate production concern in Indiana.
Clark is going through a frustrating shooting slump and struggled from the floor again on Saturday, finishing with just 10 points on 4-for-14 shooting.
The slow starts and foul troubles are becoming a concern for Indiana, who rely on the Fever star to bend the defense and create spacing. Now holding a 5-5 record, the team needs to regroup before they head to face the Washington Mystics on Monday.
