Stephanie White said racism and online abuse aimed at Alyssa Thomas are “absolutely unacceptable,” after Thomas said she received death threats and racial slurs following an incident with Caitlin Clark. White also said she plans to speak with both Thomas and P
When Stephanie White stepped into practice on Wednesday, July 1, she didn’t just address basketball. She addressed the hate Alyssa Thomas says followed her on-court moment with Caitlin Clark.
White. the Indiana Fever head coach. condemned racism and online harassment after Thomas told the public she was subjected to death threats and racial slurs in the aftermath of the Phoenix Mercury forward’s incident with Clark. Speaking one day after Thomas described the abuse. White called the behavior “absolutely unacceptable. ” and said people posting online should not “call yourself a WNBA fan.”.
“I think as a league, as a whole, there’s been so much more toxicity, racism, homophobia, straight-out nonsense… it is absolutely unacceptable,” White said at practice. “If you are one of these people that are online doing this, do not call yourself a WNBA fan.”
White also argued that much of the toxic discourse is being amplified by online agitators seeking to push divisive narratives, not by the genuine reaction of fans of the Fever or the league.
“I truly believe that it is an online community that is using our league. that is using our players to continue to further divisive. hateful narratives. ” White said. “We are not about continuing this narrative, and it’s just absolutely unacceptable… We’ve got to continue to support our players in our league.”.
The spike in public scrutiny came after Thomas was retroactively handed a one-game suspension for “recklessly” making contact with Clark’s throat during the Phoenix Mercury’s 111-109 win over the Indiana Fever on June 24. No foul was initially called on the play. and White said she had criticized officials for allowing “cheap shots” on Clark.
Thomas said the contact with Clark was “a complete accident” on Tuesday.
That timeline has kept pressure on everyone involved. Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts later addressed White by name and dismissed any implication that Thomas acted intentionally. Tibbetts said White “knows what (Thomas) stands for and what she’s about.” Tibbetts described White as someone he respected both as a coach and as a person. saying White coached Thomas with the Connecticut Sun from 2023-2024 before White took over as Fever head coach in 2025.
Tibbetts’ message on June 27 was blunt. “The people in this league know who (Alyssa Thomas) is. She’s a competitor, she’s a winner, and she’s tough. The one thing she is not is cheap,” Tibbetts said. “I respect (Stephanie) White. I got to know her with USA basketball. I respect her as a coach and a person. and I understand her sticking up for Caitlin (Clark) in this situation. But to say that we had two cheap shots in that game, to me is ridiculous. Steph knows (Thomas).”.
On Wednesday, White said she hadn’t spoken to either Thomas or Tibbetts. She said she planned to connect with them at the Fever’s upcoming matchup against the Mercury in Phoenix on July 9.
“Finding out about her comments last night, I just wanted to address it,” White added. “From a human standpoint, checking on one another is important too.”
In Thomas’s account of the fallout, the issue wasn’t limited to sports debate. She said the abuse directly impacted her family’s safety. citing racial slurs. death threats. and even her address being leaked online. Thomas also said she faced similar vitriol during the 2024 WNBA playoffs when the Sun—where she played from 2014-2024—defeated the Fever in the first round.
White said she remembered those earlier events. “I remember our players talking about it. I remember myself talking about it,” she said.
When asked whether fan behavior has improved since then, White did not offer reassurance. “I don’t know. I don’t know if fan behavior has improved. I don’t feel like legitimate WNBA fans are the ones that we’re talking about. Our league is about inclusiveness. Our league is about competition. Our league is about elevating, elevating women, elevating marginalized communities, including and being inclusive of all different walks of life.”.
“That is what our league has always been about from day one. That is what our league will continue to be about.”
The league also weighed in. On Tuesday. Engelbert issued a statement saying the league “vehemently condemns any and all forms of hate.” Engelbert said. “The safety and well-being of everyone in our community is always the league’s top priority. ” and added that the league was aware of Thomas’ comments. The statement said what Thomas and her teammates experienced was completely unacceptable and not representative of the WNBA community. and that the league and its security team had been in contact with the Phoenix Mercury organization while remaining committed to protecting all players.
The dispute over a single play has now broadened into a fight over how players are treated off the court—what fans say, how organizations respond, and whether the league can keep its own promises as the season intensifies.
Indiana Fever Stephanie White Alyssa Thomas Phoenix Mercury Caitlin Clark WNBA racism online hate death threats WNBA suspension Engelbert statement Nate Tibbetts
Online hate is gross, period.
So they suspended her for throat contact but now it’s death threats? That’s insane. But also like, people are gonna talk trash after a hit, right? Not like THAT though.
Wait I’m confused—was Caitlin Clark the one who got hit or was Alyssa Thomas? I swear I heard like 3 different versions on TikTok. Either way, if there were racial slurs and threats then yeah that’s unacceptable, but I don’t know how they prove what actually happened online.
It’s funny how people call themselves fans but act like it’s a street fight. Like, I get being mad at a play, but death threats?? Cmon. Also “online agitators” is kinda vague… sounds like the coach don’t wanna say who’s doing it. And the suspension being retroactive makes it even messier, like Twitter already decided the story before the league caught up.