The Indiana Fever have once again become the biggest topic in the WNBA. However, this time around, the conversation hasn’t focused solely on their on-court exploits. Over the last month or so, comments from Sophie Cunningham have sparked debate all across the league.
However, a veteran radio host believes the controversies could directly impact head coach Stephanie White. Despite her stellar resume as a coach, the ESPN legend isn’t sure she’ll stick around with the organization much longer.
Stephanie White Isn’t Supporting Sophie Cunningham Enough
The entire conversation went into overdrive after a controversial foul on Cunningham. Rather than taking her player’s side, White offered a measured take on the matter during the postgame press conference.
“I don’t oppose the hard foul. But I also don’t think she intentionally went for the neck.” Unfortunately, for Linda Cohn, that wasn’t enough. The legendary sportscaster, who spent over three decades as the host of SportsCenter, immediately fired back against White.
There is no coach in any sport on planet earth where Stephanie White would still be employed for supporting opposing players more than she supports her own, specifically Sophie Cunningham and Caitlin Clark. pic.twitter.com/307ITmwhmu
— Linda Cohn (@lindacohn) August 11, 2026
“I listened to that whole postgame news conference by Stephanie White. There was no mention of Sophie Cunningham or any support for her own player.”
Moreover, Cohn argued that it was a repeating pattern for the White.
“When Sophie was elbowed in the face in another game, and the officials gave Sophie Cunningham the foul, and Stephanie White looked like a spectator because she didn’t get up out of her seat to argue that call, even after a video review let the call stand, that’s Sophie’s coach. She never supports Sophie Cunningham, ever.”
A widely decorated college basketball star, White took over the Fever in 2025 and immediately led them to the Semifinals, without Caitlin Clark, who was out with a groin injury that caused her to miss most of the season.
Her resume speaks for itself, as she took the Connecticut Sun to consecutive Semifinals appearances in 2023 and 2024.
This season, too, even as they’ve brought Clark back into the lineup, she has made Indiana (20-12) a legitimate championship contender.
But Cohn isn’t sure all that praise falls directly on White. “They’re championship contenders in the WNBA this year. But they are, not because of Stephanie White. They are because of Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell. That duo, that tandem makes the Indiana Fever games worth watching.”
As a result, Cohn believes White’s days could already be numbered.
“So Stephanie White, count your blessings for at least two of the players you’re coaching. Because they, I feel in my opinion, have kept you in your coaching seat, at least for the end of this year.”
It remains to be seen whether the Fever undergoes a radical change this summer. But a lot of that is going to depend on how the rest of the season and their run through the playoffs pans out.
If they can go a step further than last year, then the results with White will be impossible to ignore. And even if some corners of the media aren’t happy with her treatment of the locker room, the ends might justify the means for the organization as a whole.
