Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White spoke out against the online harassment Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas has been receiving since the incident involving Caitlin Clark last week. White, who coached Thomas in Connecticut for two seasons, said the hate she was receiving was "absolutely unacceptable."
"I think as a league, as a whole, there's been so much more toxicity, racism, homophobia, straight-out nonsense, hate nonsense. And it is absolutely unacceptable," White said on Wednesday. "Most of it is coming from the online community. Most of this, in my heart of hearts, I believe, [is] not coming from WNBA fans, Indiana Fever fans. I believe that this is people who are using our league, using our players to further divisive agendas."
Fever head coach Stephanie White addresses Alyssa Thomas’ comments and “unacceptable” fan behavior: pic.twitter.com/55KB1zIX5z
— Tony East (@TonyREast) July 1, 2026
Thomas recently served a one-game suspension because her hand made contact with Clark's throat during the first half of their game on June 24. Clark played in the third quarter but left the game early because of ongoing back issues -- which also caused her to miss the following game against the LA Sparks.
Although Thomas said she didn't intentionally make contact with Clark's throat, she still accepted the punishment. However, Thomas shared on Tuesday that she and her teammates have been receiving a lot of harassment and even death threats since the incident.
White said that while it is valid for fans to be passionate about their favorite players and some criticism is welcomed and warranted, the online discussion surrounding Thomas had been taken too far and players need to be protected.
"It's not hard to not be a jerk. And if you are one of these people that are online doing this, do not call yourself a WNBA fan," she said. "Our league is about inclusiveness. Our league is about competition. Our league is about elevating, elevating women, elevating marginalized communities and being inclusive of all different walks of life. That is what our league has been about from day one. That is what our league will continue to be about. We will continue to compete at a high level and hold ourselves to a higher standard, continue to be on the forefront of social norms and we will continue to support one another collectively as a league. Players, coaches, staff, support staff, everyone. We are about elevating. We are not about demeaning, demanding. We are not about continuing this narrative. It's just absolutely unacceptable."
On Tuesday, after Thomas spoke to reporters about the death threats, the WNBA released a statement condemning "any and all forms of hate."
"The safety and well-being of everyone in our community is always the league's top priority," the league's statement continued. "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."
Thomas served her suspension while the Mercury played the Toronto Tempo on Saturday. She will be back on the court this Thursday as her team hosts the Seattle Storm. Meanwhile, the Fever will hit the road to take on the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday. Clark's status for that game is still unknown.
