Caitlin Clark’s name is being used by others to further their own personal agendas, according to her Indiana Fever coach, Stephanie White.
Speaking Friday to Query & Company on 107.5 The Fan in Indianapolis, White complimented the second-year guard for showing extraordinary maturity as she continues to get thrust into seemingly every league topic.
‘I hate it all for Caitlin,’ White said. ‘You know, she’s a 23-year-old kid who loves to play this game who is a pawn in a lot of other people’s games and a lot of other people’s narratives. And I hate that for her.
‘She is so mature for her age… I mean, think back to when we were 23 years old. Holy cow. But she’s so mature. She has people in her corner and people that can help her. She gets it. She understands the big picture.’
White’s specific reference is a bit of a mystery. Clark, who missed all but 13 games in 2025 due to injury, has been thrust into league-wide debates over race, officiating, physical play and, most recently, the mushrooming civil war over the league’s expiring labor deal.
Last week, players association VP and Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier slammed WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert for allegedly saying in a private meeting that Clark and others ‘should be on their knees’ thanking the league for the platform it has given them. Engelbert has denied making the comment.
Engelbert denied saying Caitlin Clark should be ‘grateful’ for the platform provided by WNBA
Caitlin Clark ‘s name is being used by others to further their own personal agendas, according to her Indiana Fever coach, Stephanie White (pictured)
White offered more praise for Clark, comparing her to Tiger Woods and Serena Williams.
‘You can probably name just maybe a handful more of athletes who have been the game changers and who have experienced what Caitlin Clark is experiencing,’ White said. ‘[Besides them], no one can really relate to what she’s going through.
‘I think the biggest thing is we can be there for her,’ White continued. ‘We can offer perspective and do what we can to help deflect and navigate. But at the same time, it’s a life that she has to lead. And I think she does it admirably … with so much grace and humility.’
Collier was due to speak to Engelbert next week to discuss her scathing criticism of the WNBA and its leadership.
But now reports claim their relationship is ‘beyond repair’ after Engelbert gave a press conference disputing Collier’s account of a private conversation between them.
According to ESPN, as of Saturday night, Collier has not officially told Engelbert that she had cancelled the meeting.
The WNBA commissioner has come under fire from a number of players in recent days
But it represents the latest twist in an ongoing feud between the commissioner and some of the WNBA’s biggest stars. Engelbert has faced a barrage of criticism over her leadership in recent days, most notably when Collier claimed the WNBA has ‘the worst leadership in the world.’
Collier said that Engelbert had suggested that Caitlin Clark should be ‘grateful’ for the platform provided to her by the WNBA when she raised concerns over rookie contracts.
‘I also asked how she planned to fix the fact that players like Caitlin [Clark], Angel [Reese], and Paige [Bueckers], who are clearly driving massive revenue for the league, are making so little for their first four years,’ Collier recalled.
‘Her response was, ‘Caitlin should be grateful she makes $60 million off the court, because without the platform that the WNBA gives her, she wouldn’t make anything.”
But, speaking ahead of Game 1 of the WNBA Finals on Friday, Engelbert disputed Collier’s version of events.
WNBA star Napheesa Collier has reportedly cancelled a meeting with Cathy Engelbert
Despite admitting that she was ‘disheartened’ by the Lynx star’s sentiments, the commissioner said: ‘Obviously I did not make those comments [about Clark].’
She claimed: ‘Caitlin has been a transformational player in this league. She’s been a great representative of the game. She’s brought in tens of millions of new fans to the game.’
Collier, who helped launch the Unrivaled three-on-three league, also ripped into the WNBA’s ‘negligent’ leadership over CBA negotiations, media rights and officiating.
In the same conversation, she claimed, Engelbert said players should be ‘on their knees thanking their lucky stars for the media rights deal that I got them.’
Again, though, the commissioner denied making those remarks. ‘There’s a lot of inaccuracy out there on social media and all this reporting,’ she said.
The league’s collective-bargaining agreement expires at the end of the month.
