Willson Contreras has suspension reduced by MLB
Boston Red Sox first baseman and designated hitter Willson Contreras has had his suspension reduced from seven games to five.
The decision allows the veteran slugger to participate in the All-Star Game after appealing his punishment stemming from a benches-clearing brawl on June 30 against the Washington Nationals at Fenway Park.
The incident escalated in the fourth inning when Nationals starter Cade Cavalli struck out Contreras looking and uttered “sit down, boy,” prompting a heated confrontation. Contreras charged toward the mound and threw his helmet toward Cavalli amid the ensuing chaos.
Contreras, along with teammate Nate Eaton and interim manager Chad Tracy, was ejected, while Nationals pitcher Miles Mikolas also received discipline.
Cavalli’s suspension was similarly reduced from seven to five games. Mikolas drew a five-game ban and Eaton three games, with all parties also fined. Contreras began serving the remainder of his suspension on Thursday and will miss one additional game after the All-Star break.
The 34-year-old Contreras, batting .285 with 20 home runs and 61 RBIs, was named an American League All-Star replacement and is slated for the Home Run Derby if healthy. He recently exited a game with a foot injury.
The reduction reflects MLB’s review of the appeal while acknowledging the provocative exchange that ignited the altercation.
1 Dodgers standout plans to skip on the team’s White House visit
The Los Angeles Dodgers may be without a well-known name when they visit President Donald Trump at the White House later this month.
Word broke on Thursday that the Dodgers plan to visit the White House during an off-day in late July. The visit will be to commemorate the team’s 2025 World Series championship (after the Dodgers also visited Trump at the White House last year to recognize their 2024 World Series title).
In the wake of the news, Dodgers utilityman Enrique “Kiké” Hernandez made a notable revelation on Instagram. Responding to a fan who commented on one of his posts by saying “Please don’t go to the white house,” Hernandez wrote, “I’m not.”
You can see the screenshot of Hernandez’s comment (which since appears to have been deleted) at the link here.
Hernandez, 34, is a beloved Dodgers fan favorite who has been a member of three World Series teams now and is famous for his clutch hitting in big postseason moments. Though Hernandez did participate in the Dodgers’ White House visit last year, he later criticized the experience for being a lot of waiting around and added that he did not get to speak with President Trump (and was not even interested in doing so anyway).
Kiké Hernandez talking about him and the Dodgers going to the White House today and his experience in a spanish interview.
— steven | LAD (61 – 33) (@brokeboysteven_) April 8, 2025
Via Cultura Sports on TikTok pic.twitter.com/P8umWhwpva
A native of Puerto Rico, Hernandez has appeared in just two games for the Dodgers this season due to recovery from an offseason elbow procedure followed by a subsequent oblique tear. Now it appears that Hernandez will be skipping out on seeing President Trump in the Oval Office this year (along with perhaps this teammate of his too).
Major update emerges on Michael Porter Jr’s future
Michael Porter Jr. may end up as a one-season wonder in Brooklyn.
The Brooklyn Nets are likely to trade away Porter if they cannot agree to a contract extension before the season, Brian Lewis of The New York Post reported on Thursday. Lewis adds that the Nets would be trading the 6-foot-10 forward Porter before the start of the season in that scenario.
Porter, the 28-year-old former lottery pick, played the first six seasons of his NBA career with the Denver Nuggets and was a starter on Denver’s 2023 championship team. But last summer, the Nuggets decided to trade Porter to the lowly Nets for salary-shedding purposes.
In Brooklyn last season, Porter went on to thrive. As the de facto No. 1 option on offense, he averaged career highs with 24.2 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game.
But Porter leading the charge did not lead to very many wins for the Nets as they posted one of their worst seasons in franchise history at 20-62. Now the clock is ticking on Porter’s future as he is set to enter the final year of his contract next season at $40.8 million.
Porter certainly has a strong argument for a big payday after his banner year in 2025-26. But with Brooklyn now looking to build around their younger players (and also taking on some extra money in their trade last month for a former NBA All-Star), that payday might not necessarily be coming from them.
Dodgers make a decision on visiting the White House
The Los Angeles Dodgers are running it back with President Donald Trump.
The Dodgers will be visiting Trump at the White House on July 23, Edward Lewis of The California Post reported on Thursday. The visit, which will be to honor the team’s second straight World Series championship in 2025, will be taking place during an off-day in between the Dodgers’ upcoming series against the Philadelphia Phillies (from July 20-22) and against the New York Mets (from July 24-26).
Later in the day on Thursday, the White House confirmed the Dodgers’ plans to visit. WH assistant press secretary Taylor Rogers wrote in a post to X that “President Trump is excited to welcome the Los Angeles Dodgers BACK to the White House to celebrate their World Series championship!”
President Trump is excited to welcome the Los Angeles Dodgers BACK to the White House to celebrate their World Series championship!https://t.co/46uG6v9wqF
— Taylor Rogers (@TaylorRogers47) July 9, 2026
The Dodgers already notably visited President Trump at the White House last year (in honor of their 2024 World Series victory). The most memorable moment of the visit came when Trump gave a nice compliment to Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani.
But there was some uncertainty as to whether or not the Dodgers would indeed be having their White House visit this year. They already made their only road trip of the season to Washington D.C. to face the Washington Nationals from April 3-5 and were unable to visit Trump at the White House then.
Now the Dodgers are officially locked in for their second visit to the Trump White House just a few days after the All-Star break ends. That said, some members of their roster might skip out on the visit just like last time.
Angel Reese taunts Dominique Malonga after scoring on her
Angel Reese was at it again this week.
Reese and the Atlanta Dream played on Thursday against the Seattle Storm. In the first quarter at Gateway Center in College Park, Ga., Reese got Storm center Dominique Malonga isolated in the post.
After clearing out some space by driving her shoulder into Malonga a couple of times, Reese easily scored the uncontested layup. She then proceeded to taunt Malonga by doing the “too small” gesture with her fingers while running back up the floor.
Here is the video of the play.
Angel Reese moves Dom Malonga for a layup and hits her with the "too small"pic.twitter.com/xqddpHLJA3
— Underdog WNBA (@UnderdogWNBA) July 10, 2026
Malonga (6-foot-6) is actually taller than Reese (6-foot-3) is and is no slouch as a 2026 WNBA All-Star who is averaging 15.9 points and 7.4 rebounds per game for the Storm this season. But Reese, who was just herself selected to her third career All-Star team this week, certainly felt like she got the better of Malonga there.
These kinds of antics are fairly commonplace for the 24-year-old Reese. Just a couple of weeks ago, she also mocked Indiana Fever rival Caitlin Clark for flopping during their game.
Corey Seager is being linked to 1 team in trade rumors
Corey Seager might potentially be going from AL West to AL East.
The Texas Rangers may consider the possibility of trading away their veteran shortstop Seager if they sputter over the next several weeks, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported on Thursday. Rosenthal adds that the Boston Red Sox in particular are one team that had previously asked the Rangers about Seager’s availability.
Seager, a five-time All-Star and two-time World Series MVP, has been with Texas since 2022. But this might be the lowest that Seager’s trade value has been in his entire MLB career as he is batting a rancid .182 this season with 10 home runs and 25 RBIs through 51 games played.
Texas does sit at a respectable 46-46 on the season overall, which is 0.5 games back of the division lead in a weak AL West. But Seager is on the injured list at the moment due to a lower back issue and is also still owed a hefty $31.5 million per year through 2031.
As for the Red Sox, their season looked effectively over just a couple of weeks ago. But Boston has now won six games in a row and counting to climb to 43-48, which is just 2.5 games back of an AL Wild Card spot.
The Red Sox are not in a good position at the shortstop position with Trevor Story (hernia), Marcelo Mayer (forearm), and Isiah Kiner-Falefa (forearm) all currently on the IL. While Seager is also injured himself right now, he might be a realistic trade candidate for the Rangers over the next few weeks, especially given previous reports of internal issues that Seager had supposedly caused in Texas.
Anthony Davis’ new contract demands have been revealed
Anthony Davis is shooting for the moon at 33 years old.
The Washington Wizards star big man Davis is expected to seek a full max contract extension from the team, Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints reported this week. For Davis, that would be a figure of $275 million over four years.
Davis, the 10-time All-Star, was acquired by the Wizards last February in a trade with the Dallas Mavericks. But Davis did not appear in a single game for Washington last season due to a hand injury.
As it stands right now, Davis has two more years left under contract. He is owed $58.5 million next season and also holds a $62.8 million player option for 2027-28.
Of course, there is virtually no argument right now that Davis is deserving of a full max extension at this point of his NBA career. He is about to enter his 15th season in the league next year and has a very lengthy and well-documented history of injuries, limiting Davis to just 71 games played over the last two seasons combined.
At the same time too, this could just be a negotiating ploy on the part of Davis in an attempt to force his way out of Washington. In recent months, Davis has seemingly been putting public pressure on the Wizards to trade him, and that could now be continuing with Davis’ posturing behind the scenes as well.
Mitchell Robinson roasted a trash-talking Celtics fan
Boston Celtics fans apparently have some warming up to do toward Mitchell Robinson.
One Celtics fan decided to trash talk Robinson over his free throw struggles even after Robinson agreed to sign with Boston in free agency. Robinson noticed, however, and did not take the comment lying down.
“He better be great otherwise he’ll (be remembered) for missing 2 free throws against us,” the Celtics fan wrote.
“That’s cool still sent that a– home remember that,” Robinson fired back.
Mitchell Robinson to a Celtics fan online:
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) July 9, 2026
Fan: "He better be great otherwise he’ll be remembered for missing 2 free throws against us.”
Mitch: "That's cool still sent that ass home remember that"
(via Celtics/IG) pic.twitter.com/aQKas61NBP
The original comment is in reference to the Celtics’ playoff series with the New York Knicks in 2025, when Boston repeatedly employed the “Hack-a-Mitch” strategy due to Robinson’s awful free throw shooting. Several of his attempts in that series were downright embarrassing, but as Robinson pointed out, the Knicks did wind up winning the series in six games.
The Celtics unquestionably think Robinson provides plenty of money based on the contract they gave him. If Boston fans are still fixated on his free throw shooting a year or two from now, that is probably a sign that this really did not work out for either side.
Steph Curry makes his sales pitch to LeBron James
Steph Curry continues to field question about LeBron James as a possible teammate.
Curry is taking part in the American Century Championship pro-am golf tournament this weekend, and thus fielded a few questions about the Golden State Warriors’ reported pursuit of James. Curry emphasized that he had no inside information about where James might go, and suggested a sales pitch from him is probably unnecessary.
“The pitch is: Do you want to play good basketball and be around people who know how to play the game?” Curry said. “Hopefully raise our floor and our competitiveness this year. There’s good golf in the bay. We’re an organization that’s been there. He knows that. That’s really self-explanatory. It’s just a matter of where he sees himself fitting. At the end of the day, that’s up to him.”
Steph Curry on the Warriors’ chances at LeBron James: “I don’t have a percentage. It’s kinda up to him.”
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) July 9, 2026
“The pitch is: Do you want to play good basketball and be around people who know how to play the game? Raise our floor, competitiveness…There’s good golf in the Bay.” pic.twitter.com/6R4pA28Hbj
Curry seems to be going out of his way not to push James on his next destination. Perhaps he knows that James is keeping his free agent decision close to the vest and does not seem terribly interested in hearing any lengthy recruiting pitches.
The Warriors have been consistently linked to James for over a month, as the potential pairing with Curry is an enticing one. However, the conventional wisdom seems to think he will end up going somewhere else.
Details emerge on Adam Schefter’s future with ESPN
Adam Schefter is going to be on ESPN for a long time after reaching a new deal with the network.
ESPN’s top NFL insider is closing in on a long-term contract extension with the network, according to Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports. Financial terms of the new deal are not yet known, but the contract is expected to keep Schefter at the network into the 2030s.
Schefter’s last contract extension came in 2022, and he remains a consistent on-air presence for ESPN. At that time, he was reportedly making roughly $10 million per year, and it is certainly plausible that he will be receiving a raise with his new deal.
Schefter remains a constant presence on ESPN and the biggest news-breaker in the industry. He has also dabbled in basketball reporting a few times, though the NFL is still his main beat.
ESPN has a loaded roster of NFL insiders at this point. After purchasing NFL Network, Ian Rapoport is under their umbrella as well, but Schefter remains the biggest NFL figure at the network.
Teams are recruiting LeBron James through a bizarre method
Teams interested in signing LeBron James are having to resort to some unusual methods to try and recruit him.
Teams interested in trying to sign James have been allowed to record voice notes and send them to James’ agent Rich Paul, according to Shams Charania of ESPN. Paul then passes them along to the free agent forward.
“Some of the leading suitors for LeBron James have been able to send a voice note to him via Rich Paul,” Charania said. “Whether it’s an owner, a president, or a general manager, they’re able to record a voice note, send it to Rich Paul, and that makes its way to LeBron James.”
Shams:
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) July 9, 2026
"Some of the leading suitors…some of them have been able to send a voice note to Lebron James via Rich Paul whether it's an owner, a president or a general manager being able to record a voice note…send it to Rich Paul and that makes his way to Lebron James"
WTF lol pic.twitter.com/FnDNxYab6X
James has essentially cordoned himself off as he makes his free agent decision, and is not giving teams the chance to recruit him. This is as far as he has gone, and obviously there is only so much convincing any team can do in a voice note.
James’ silence and the lack of hints on offer have led to a lot of speculation about his most likely destination. His ultimate decision probably will not come with much notice, even for the team that ends up signing him.
Raptors put the Kawhi Leonard trade on hold
The Toronto Raptors and Los Angeles Clippers are putting their agreed trade for Kawhi Leonard on hold due to the ongoing NBA investigation into his finances.
The Clippers issued a statement Thursday revealing that the Leonard trade will not be completed until the NBA investigation into Leonard’s relationship with Aspiration concludes. The league informed both teams that the Raptors would assume the risk of penalties relating to Leonard’s contract if the trade were completed now, which the organization balked at.
“On June 30, we reached an agreement in principle to trade Kawhi Leonard to the Toronto Raptors,” the Clippers said in their statement. “We have since been informed that the trade can only be finalized if the Raptors’ ownership group assumes the risk of penalties related to Kawhi’s contract that could theoretically result from the ongoing investigation. The investigation is ongoing, and we expect the trade to be finalized following its conclusion.”
The Raptors issued their own statement saying that they “remain eager to bring Kawhi back to Toronto” once the investigation concludes.
Raptors statement on Leonard trade holdup due to ongoing NBA investigation into the Clippers: pic.twitter.com/fQZc80Vx2L
— David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc) July 9, 2026
The two sides had agreed on a Leonard trade last week. There is no word on how long it will take for the NBA investigation to conclude, though there have been signals that it is in its final stages.
The NBA has been investigating the Clippers for roughly 10 months stemming from allegations that they used an outside company to funnel money to Leonard and circumvent the salary cap. The Clippers have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, and did so again in Thursday’s statement.
It is unclear what type of punishment could be handed down if the league’s findings suggest the Clippers were guilty of what they have been accused of. One possibility could be that Leonard’s contract might be voided, which would obviously be a situation the Raptors would not want to be a party to.
Braves interested in trade for 3-time All-Star
The Atlanta Braves are in pursuit of a three-time All-Star at the trade deadline to bolster their playoff hopes.
The Braves have expressed interest in Boston Red Sox pitcher Sonny Gray, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. However, the Red Sox are not yet certain if they will sell at the deadline, which would complicate Atlanta’s plans.
Despite a long list of injuries, the Braves have stayed afloat and then some in the NL East. Still, the team would like to have at least one more reliable arm, and Gray would fit the bill. The 36-year-old is having a fine season with a 10-1 record and 2.61 ERA.
The Braves are likely to face stiff competition for Gray if he does hit the market. He would be one of the best starting pitchers available, and might even top the list if the Detroit Tigers hang on to Tarik Skubal.
The Red Sox have some tough decisions to make about Gray’s future. They enter play Thursday at 42-48, but that is just three games out of a Wild Card spot in the weak American League.
Spurs fire announcer accused of cheating with player’s sister
San Antonio Spurs play-by-play announcer Jacob Tobey is suffering some significant consequences of an alleged cheating scandal with a player’s sister.
Tobey has been dismissed as Spurs announcer, according to Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports. He had previously been calling Spurs games since 2024., and had just recently signed a contract extension to remain the voice of the Spurs going forward.
Things went south for Tobey earlier this week when his girlfriend posted cheating allegations to his Instagram story. The posts, which quickly went viral, claimed that the 29-year-old had cheated on his girlfriend with Loren Waters, the sister of Spurs guard Lindy Waters III.
The Spurs evidently determined that there was something to those allegations. An undisclosed relationship with a player’s sister would certainly count as a breach of ethics, and one the organization decided it would not tolerate.
Tobey’s lack of discretion opens up what would have to be considered one of the top jobs in NBA broadcasting right now. Whoever gets the role will be calling games involving Victor Wembanyama for a team fresh off an NBA Finals appearance and still on the ascendancy.
Details about Christian Pulisic’s injury against Belgium revealed
The severity of the injury Christian Pulisic suffered in Team USA’s FIFA World Cup Round of 16 match against Belgium has been revealed.
Pulisic suffered a bone bruise and a microfracture in his leg in the second half of Monday’s match, according to multiple reports. He is expected to be sidelined for several weeks, but could be back for the start of the European season in August.
U.S. forward Christian Pulisic suffered a bone bruise and microfracture in his leg during Monday’s World Cup loss to Belgium, and will be sidelined for several weeks but not months, multiple people briefed on the diagnosis told The Athletic.
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) July 9, 2026
Subsequent medical assessments… pic.twitter.com/rIRZcgX8Sx
Pulisic drew significant criticism after the game when he said he had “time to rest” and recover from the injury following the team’s 4-1 loss to Belgium. At that time, Pulisic was simply describing the injury as a severely twisted ankle, but it obviously turned out to be much more than that.
While Team USA’s World Cup campaign looked like a success, the nature of the defeat against Belgium drew widespread backlash. Pulisic’s overall play during the tournament was also a disappointment even before he got hurt, and some of the comments he made after the loss also rubbed people the wrong way.
Pulisic has developed something of a reputation for being injury-prone over the course of his career. The 27-year-old is now facing a race against time to be ready for AC Milan’s opening game of the Italian league season in August.
Dylan Cease’s no-hit heartbreak was followed by an awkward mix-up
Dylan Cease had a minor snafu following his incredible start on Wednesday against the San Francisco Giants.
Cease came close to authoring a no-hitter in the series finale at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., but his bid for the historic performance came to an end when Heliot Ramos singled off him to lead off the ninth inning.
Nevertheless, the Blue Jays came away with a 10-0 victory, with Cease certainly deserving of a postgame interview.
Before that, Cease seemingly mistook a staff member for someone asking for a selfie in the dugout before realizing he was merely being directed to the interview.
Here is a video of that moment.
Dying at Cease thinking staff wanted a selfie or something but she was just trying to point him to the interview. pic.twitter.com/FhpU6jxDY5
— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) July 9, 2026
But the real focus should be on the magnificent pitching job of Cease to help the Blue Jays thwart San Francisco.
He pitched for eight scoreless innings, giving up just a hit and issuing 3 walks, while recording 11 punchouts. He was let by Blue Jays manager John Schneider to chase a no-hitter, as the right-hander threw a total of 118 pitches (a career high) before getting replaced by Tyler Rogers.
Thus far in the 2026 season, the 30-year-old Cease owns a 6-4 record and 2.56 ERA, while leading the American League with 148 strikeouts.
Von Miller fuels career speculation with a cryptic post
Von Miller is not yet ready to retire, but he’s also still without a team this deep into the NFL offseason.
As the veteran linebacker continues to weigh his options, he appears to have teased his preferred landing spot with a cryptic post on social media.
On Wednesday, the 37-year-old Miller posted an Instagram Story showing an edited photo of himself in a No. 24 Dallas Cowboys uniform.
#Cowboys fan Von Miller wants a homecoming? Story in moments at https://t.co/eT8dJEPnHv pic.twitter.com/IR4rtIFyFO
— fishsports ✭ (@fishsports) July 8, 2026
Dallas sounds like an ideal destination for Miller since he’s from DeSoto, Texas, which is not that far from Arlington. In addition, Miller played college football with the Texas A&M Aggies.
Just recently, the eight-time Pro Bowler raved about the idea of playing for the Cowboys, mainly because of the setup’s convenience.
“I grew up here in Dallas,” Miller told R.J. Ochoa of SB Nation. “I’ve always had a special place in my heart for the Dallas Cowboys. If I played for the Dallas Cowboys this year, I [would] only have to drive 20 minutes to work. This would be the first time that my mom and dad don’t have to fly to every single game.”
At this point in his career, Miller will not be the next Micah Parsons for the Cowboys should both sides agree to a contract, but he can still bring something to the table for Dallas’ stop unit, which was filled with holes in 2025. Last season, Dallas finished last in the league with an average of 251.5 passing yards per game.
The two-time Super Bowl champion saw action for 17 games in 2025 for the Washington Commanders, collecting 9.0 sacks and 26 combined tackles.
Tim Hardaway Jr. had a great quote during his Heat introduction
The Miami Heat landed the biggest fish of them all this summer by successfully trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo, but they also made another significant acquisition, as they signed veteran sniper Tim Hardaway Jr.
This is a homecoming of sorts for Hardaway, whose father, Tim Hardaway Sr., played for the Heat in the 1990s and early 2000s. Back then, the younger Hardaway used to be around the team.
On Thursday, Hardaway Jr. was officially introduced by the Heat, and he’ll now also be wearing the No. 10 Miami jersey. The same number his dad used to don in South Beach.
It has been a long journey for the former Michigan Wolverines star before he finally followed in his dad’s footsteps and became a Heat player.
“I’ve been praying for this day,” Hardaway said in his Miami introductory press conference, via Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press.
“I’ve always wanted this day to come, ever since I was a kid.”
Interestingly enough, this is not the first time that Hardaway Jr. will be playing for an NBA team that Hardaway Sr. also suited up for. Before joining the Heat, Hardaway Jr. had a stop with the Denver Nuggets and had played six-plus seasons for the Dallas Mavericks. Hardaway Sr. played for a total of 68 teams for those teams.
So far in his NBA career, Hardaway Jr. has averaged 13.7 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists, while shooting 36.5% from deep.
Paul Pierce can’t believe the report about Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown
Paul Pierce doesn’t care what kind of relationship Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum had during their time together with the Boston Celtics. He doesn’t think it should be a headline, either.
Following the blockbuster trade that sent Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers, NBA insider Shams Charania of ESPN reported on Tatum’s relationship with Brown away from the court.
Pierce couldn’t believe that such a detail would pass as news, considering it’s not uncommon for star duos to be distant from each other.
“Come on, man. What news? This is actually news,” Pierce said during an episode of No Fouls Given.
The former Celtics star also used past NBA superstar tandems to further stress his point.
“Did Shaq and Kobe hang out, get along? Did Mike and Scottie? Man, people live different lifestyles. That’s what you’ve got to understand, added Pierce.
“Everybody just because they look like they got the best relationship and the chemistry on the court don’t mean that’s what it’s gonna equal off the court.
You know what I’m sayin’? Some people got families. Some people are into different things off on their free time. It’s like, all right, that’s cool, and that’s okay if they didn’t hang out or communicate. Did we hear about any like scuffles?”
Tatum and Brown played several years together and led Boston to an NBA championship while making two trips to the NBA Finals. It’s easy for people to imagine that they were close to each other even when they were off the court, but even if that was not the case, that’s fine with Pierce.
Now that they play for rival Atlantic Division teams, there’s even more reason for Brown and Tatum to grow further apart, both personally and competitively.
H/T Courtside
Stephanie White’s comment on Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell sets off fan backlash
Stephanie White is not getting a lot of love from Indiana Fever fans, especially after the team’s 106-92 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks on Wednesday at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Calif. Despite Caitlin Clark returning from a two-game absence due to a back injury, the Fever failed to extend their winning streak to three games.
Clark was on a minute restriction, playing just 16 minutes and scoring only 9 points on 4/12 shooting with 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal. She shot just 1/6 from deep and turned the ball over four times. Meanwhile, her backcourt partner, Kelsey Mitchell, erupted for 29 points on 9/18 shooting in 33 minutes of action.
Following the game, White was complimentary of the collective work of Clark and Mitchell.
“I certainly think individually they’re really, really good, and collectively dynamic together, White said of Clark and Mitchell. “And I think that they make one another better.”
"I certainly think individually they're really, really good, and collectively dynamic together. And I think that they make one another better."
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) July 9, 2026
head coach Stephanie White on the duo of Caitlin Clark & Kelsey Mitchell 🌟 pic.twitter.com/0C7WkAp8PL
However, fans are not as appreciative of White as they appear to feel that her coaching style is holding Clark back from becoming more productive on the court.
They would be better with a new coach that understands what they have with CC
— greg thatcher (@ThatcherGreg) July 9, 2026
Stephanie White is a horrible Coach, no matter how much she tries to gaslight everyone with her BS….
— American USMC Veteran ❤️🇺🇸 (@MarineF18ret) July 9, 2026
She needs to be FIRED!!!!
Then clearly the problem is YOU!!! I didn't even watch the second half and won't waste my time tonight. This entire franchise can go to hell!
— Pet Junction (@PetJunctn) July 9, 2026
Caitlyn and Boston are great together. You purposely are not letting them play together. Y’all could have won if you would have put them in. I did not watch the game because of that, I read how many minutes you let her play at a time. Let her go to a team who will not ruin her pic.twitter.com/UpMXFPV6C7
— ADyan (@ADYNH1244) July 9, 2026
In order to build a championship team, you've gotta get rid of the weakest link. In this case, it happens to be Stephanie White. 🧐 pic.twitter.com/5LHl2774db
— ImJustHere4X (@ImJustHere4X) July 9, 2026
White will not have to worry about managing Clark and fans’ expectations of the former Iowa Hawkeyes star on Thursday when the Fever take on the Phoenix Mercury at the Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix. Clark is set to sit out the game for rest purposes.
