Stephanie White Responds to Potential WNBA Discipline Over Caitlin Clark Decision

The Indiana Fever secured a 90-73 victory over the Portland Fire on Wednesday night, doing so without superstar guard Caitlin Clark, who was ruled out just hours before tip-off.

Clark has been dealing with a lingering back issue that has required multiple in-game adjustments during the early part of the season. Indiana ultimately decided to hold her out after she reportedly woke up stiff and did not participate in practice on Tuesday.

The situation quickly sparked debate because Clark was not listed on Tuesday's injury report despite missing practice. While Fever head coach Stephanie White explained the team believed Clark was still going to play leading up to the game, questions have since emerged about whether Indiana properly followed the league's injury reporting protocols.

"Not everyone that doesn't practice or gets a pro day is on the injury report," White said. "She wasn't on there earlier because we expected her to play."

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WNBA rules state that all matters related to player availability must be submitted by 5 p.m. the day before a game unless it is part of a back-to-back scenario.

Since Clark missed Tuesday's practice because of the back issue, some have argued she should have appeared on Indiana's injury report entering Wednesday's matchup.

When White was asked whether the Fever could face punishment from the WNBA over how the team handled Clark's status, she gave a brief response: "No."

Clark never dealt with any significant injuries during her time at Iowa or throughout her rookie season with the Fever in 2024, appearing in all 40 games.

However, last season she suffered three separate injuries, including a season-ending groin injury after appearing in just 13 games.

Because of that, Indiana has clearly taken a cautious approach with its superstar guard. While any back issue can be concerning, the Fever have continued to downplay the severity of Clark's current condition as she remains off to a strong start this season, averaging 24.3 points, 9.0 assists, and 5.3 rebounds per game.

"She's healthy," White said. "We're not managing anything, it's just a back issue that we want to give time to be ready."

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This story was originally published May 21, 2026 at 8:17 AM.