It hasn’t been smooth sailing to start the season for the Indiana Fever. After going 4-2 to open the season, the Fever lost two straight, including a recent 100-84 drubbing at the hands of the Portland Fire.
During Indiana’s defeat vs. the Fire, cameras also caught Caitlin Clark and coach Stephanie White involved in a heated discussion.
The altercation raised questions about the harmony in the locker room between their star player and coach. While Clark and White later on cleared the air on the matter, WNBA legend Candace Parker had her thoughts on the issue and offered strong advice to the Indiana star.
Caitlin Clark Offered Strong Advice By Legend Candace Parker
One of the many reasons Clark is so popular on and off the court is her competitiveness and will to win. She’s been a winner throughout her young career to date, dating back to her college days.
On this occasion, the spotlight was on her competitiveness spilling over into a disagreement with her coach during a timeout.
WNBA legend Candace Parker weighed in with her thoughts on the “Post Moves with Candace Parker and Aliyah Boston” podcast.
The former 2-time MVP and 7-time All-Star Parker offered Clark some advice regarding the interaction:
“From Caitlin’s standpoint, as a player, you gotta take it. You gotta say, ‘Hey, I wasn’t right’ or maybe ‘I didn’t handle it that way’ or ‘I’m gonna handle it better in the future.’ But I do think a lot was made of it.”
Parker also made the point earlier in the segment, noting that the player-coach dynamic has changed. “I think now we’re entering into an era where it’s not being coached at, it’s being coached to…we are in a day and age where we are hiring coaches to relate with players.”
From both Clark and White’s perspectives, this is a non-issue. As reported by James Boyd of The Athletic, both sides have downplayed the incident.
Clark brushed it off as simply “two people being competitive. Two people that really want to win.” She also expressed support for her coach and spoke positively of their relationship.
Meanwhile, coach White echoed Clark’s sentiment and said, “…I was challenging a player. It’s coaching.”
Amidst the Fever’s defensive struggles and Clark’s recent slump, there will no doubt be more attention on Indiana’s off-court dynamics as well.
But for now, the Fever will look to rebound from their consecutive defeats when they take on the Atlanta Dream on Thursday.
CP and SW could never grow up to the shadow CC will have eventually