Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White has drawn heavy criticism from fans after she declined to take a firm stance on transgender athletes competing in women's sports, following comments from Fever guard Sophie Cunningham.
Cunningham said last week that she wants to "protect young girls" in sport who shouldn't have to compete against "biological men." Asked for her own view, White tried to stay neutral.
"I don't know that I would say that I'm educated enough from a scientific standpoint. I don't ever believe that exclusion is an answer," White said. "I do think when we think about various levels of sport, various governing bodies of sport, and things that go into that. Like I said, I'm not educated enough at the different levels."
Pressed on how Cunningham's remarks had brought unwanted attention to the Fever, White admitted she found the situation "frustrating."
"There is a frustration because we want to talk about basketball and we want to continue to work on our game, and we want to continue to grow as a team," she said. "But I also understand, like this is part of our growth edge as a league, right? We have to be able to insulate as much as we can, and then we have to be able to lead with conversation."
Backlash on social media
White's refusal to take a firm position drew swift criticism online. One user posted on X: "This is just so patently dishonest. She knows that a top boys HS player would break every WNBA record there is."
Another wrote: "Very weak, amazing she's leading a team. Definitely not someone that should be in that role." A third commented: "'I coach a female basketball team, so I'm not sure from a scientific perspective about men playing in girls sports.' If you're that stupid, you shouldn't even be a coach."
The controversy comes despite the Fever riding a five-game winning streak. Cunningham has been at the center of the trans debate since telling ESPN that young girls "shouldn't have to go against biological men" when playing sports.
Booed in Portland
Cunningham has been supported by protesters outside several WNBA arenas over the past few days, including rally organizer Amy Sousa in Portland. But the mood shifted on Friday night when the 29-year-old was loudly booed by the home crowd there.
On court, Cunningham appeared to make a hand signal toward fans after hitting a three-pointer, seemingly suggesting they were "losers." She later posted video of the moment on social media, writing: "I didn't call them losers but I did talk s***."
In a follow-up post, she shared a video of herself with a finger to her lips as if quieting the booing crowd. She also posted a clip of herself handing a young fan her game-worn shoes as a thank-you for their support.
