{"id":247339,"date":"2026-06-09T01:50:15","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T01:50:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/09\/she-needs-to-argue-2x-nba-champ-defends-caitlin-clarks-officiating-frustrations-while-sneaking-subtle-shot-at-stephanie-white\/"},"modified":"2026-06-09T01:50:15","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T01:50:15","slug":"she-needs-to-argue-2x-nba-champ-defends-caitlin-clarks-officiating-frustrations-while-sneaking-subtle-shot-at-stephanie-white","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/09\/she-needs-to-argue-2x-nba-champ-defends-caitlin-clarks-officiating-frustrations-while-sneaking-subtle-shot-at-stephanie-white\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;She needs to argue&#8221; &#8211; 2x NBA Champ Defends Caitlin Clark&#8217;s Officiating Frustrations While Sneaking Subtle Shot at Stephanie White"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-content\" data-postid=\"5177099\" data-slug-id=\"2792591\">\n<div class=\"vidazoo-player-container\">\n<span class=\"vidazoo-close-btn  hidden \"><br \/>\n<img data-lazy=\"\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/cmc-predictor\/v2\/cross-icon.png?w=40\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" alt=\"close\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Former NBA big man Mychal Thompson defended Indiana Fever star <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/us\/wnba\/caitlin-clark\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">Caitlin Clark<\/a>&#8216;s continued complaints with the referees during games.<\/p>\n<p>Thompson and sports analyst Jason Whitlock discussed the comments of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/sports\/story\/2026-06-07\/stop-whining-play-why-caitlin-clark-has-become-distraction\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">Los Angeles Times&#8217; Bill Plaschke<\/a> on Sunday. In his column, &#8220;Whiny Caitlin Clark&#8217;s tired antics needs to end,&#8221; Plaschke expressed his frustration with the two-time WNBA All-Star.<\/p>\n<p>In Monday&#8217;s episode of &#8220;Fearless,&#8221; Thompson told Whitlock that he doesn&#8217;t agree with Plaschke&#8217;s article, which was much talked about on social media after its release.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;That was totally wrong (because) she needs to argue,&#8221; Whitlock said (Timestamp: 16:05). &#8220;If you watch the games, defenders take a lot of liberties with them. A lot of hands-on, a lot of pushing and shoving and grabbing because she is Caitlin Clark. They&#8217;re trying to slow her down.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><template id=\"also-read-articles-template\"><\/p>\n<p><\/template><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;So, I think the referees do let a lot more contact go against Caitlin, as opposed to other point guards in the league. So, yes, I agree with her complaining the way she does. &#8230; I like it when Caitlin complains.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Thompson, the father of Dallas Mavericks star <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/basketball\/klay-thompson\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">Klay Thompson<\/a>, also mentioned Fever coach Stephanie White in his argument:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;(Clark) is grabbed and clutched and held on more so than any other player in the league so she should complain. If Stephanie White won&#8217;t point it out, she has to point it out herself.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"sportskeeda-embed\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/us\/wnba\/youtube\">\n<div class=\"yt-wrapper\">                    <noscript><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Jason Whitlock &amp; Mychal Thompson TORCH the Indiana Fever Over Caitlin Clark | Ep 1170\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/l8JA0XKS9tU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/noscript>                    <\/p>\n<div class=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/us\/wnba\/youtube\" data-embed=\"null\">\n<div class=\"play-button\"><img height=\"370\" width=\"660\" data-img=\"false\" data-img-low=\"false\" class=\"lazy-img\" alt=\"youtube-cover\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Thompson played 12 NBA seasons from 1978 until 1991. He played a key bench role during the back-to-back championship run of the &#8220;Showtime&#8221; LA Lakers in 1987 and 1988.<\/p>\n<h2>Mychal Thompson says the Fever&#8217;s system doesn&#8217;t work for Caitlin Clark<\/h2>\n<p>Veteran sports analyst Jason Whitlock argued that the Indiana Fever&#8217;s system does not fit Caitlin Clark. In the same &#8220;Fearless&#8221; episode on Monday, Whitlock asked Mychal Thompson if he had ever seen a team underutilize its superstar. Thompson referenced several sports personalities and NBA legends in his comments.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Never seen this in any sport,&#8221; Thompson said (Timestamp: 3:20). &#8220;They&#8217;ve taken away Caitlin&#8217;s superpowers. When you draft a player like Caitlin, like a Steph Curry, like a Magic (Johnson), an Isiah Thomas, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, when you have a player of that caliber, of a (Victor Wembanyama), you play to their strengths.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;You build around a franchise player, such as that. And it seems like they brought the franchise player in to make them play the way they want to play, as opposed to adopting to her style and what made her the most popular basketball player in the world when she was at Iowa.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Concerns had been mounting for Indiana, as it split its first 10 games of the season. Clark scored just 10 points on 4-for-14 shooting in the team&#8217;s most recent game, an 83-75 loss to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/us\/wnba\/new-york-liberty\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">New York Liberty<\/a> on Saturday. The former Rookie of the Year is averaging 12.3 points on 25.8% shooting over <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/wnba\/players\/c\/clarkca02w\/gamelog\/2026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">the last four games<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-post-rating-widget\">\n<p><template id=\"post-rating-feedback-modal-template\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-feedback-box\">\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-content\">\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-data\">\n<p>Why did you not like this content?<\/p>\n<p><textarea id=\"dislike-feedback-text\" rows=\"4\" placeholder=\"Please type your feedback...\"\/>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n<button class=\"close\">Cancel<\/button><br \/>\n<button class=\"submit\">Submit<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/template><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-widget-parent hidden\">\n<div class=\"rating-parent-container\">\n<div class=\"rating-content-holder\">\n<p>Was this article helpful?<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-action-container\">\n<div class=\"like-container\">\n<button class=\"post-rating-like-button post-rating-button\" data-action=\"like\" title=\"like article\"><br \/>\n<img class=\"post-like-image post-rating-image\" data-lazy=\"\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/like-articles\/upvote-icon-grey.svg\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"like selected\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dislike-container\">\n<button class=\"post-rating-dislike-button post-rating-button\" data-action=\"dislike\" title=\"dislike article\"><br \/>\n<img class=\"post-dis-like-image post-rating-image\" data-lazy=\"\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/like-articles\/upvote-icon-grey.svg\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"avatar selected\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\nThank You for feedback\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tag-cloud\">\n<div class=\"tags-text\">\n<div class=\"scrollable-content-holder  article-padding\">\n<p class=\"article-p  \">Quick Links<\/p>\n<p><button id=\"pnAdvancerLeft\" class=\"pn-Advancer pn-Advancer_Left \" type=\"button\"><br \/>\n<img style=\"background: none;\" data-lazy=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/skm\/assets\/article\/article-scroll-left.svg\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button><\/p>\n<nav id=\"pnProductNav\" class=\"pn-ProductNav\">\n<\/nav>\n<p><button id=\"pnAdvancerRight\" class=\"pn-Advancer pn-Advancer_Right \" type=\"button\"><br \/>\n<img style=\"background: none;\" data-lazy=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/skm\/assets\/article\/article-scroll-right.svg\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<p>More from Sportskeeda<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n<span class=\"publisher-name\">Edited by Kim Daniel Rubinos<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/us\/wnba\/news-she-needs-argue-2x-nba-champ-defends-caitlin-clark-s-officiating-frustrations-while-sneaking-subtle-shot-stephanie-white\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Former NBA big man Mychal Thompson defended Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark&#8216;s continued complaints with the referees during games. Thompson and sports analyst Jason Whitlock discussed the comments of Los Angeles Times&#8217; Bill Plaschke on Sunday. In his column, &#8220;Whiny Caitlin Clark&#8217;s tired antics needs to end,&#8221; Plaschke expressed his frustration with the two-time WNBA [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":247341,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6806],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-247339","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-gossip"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247339","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=247339"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247339\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/247341"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=247339"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=247339"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=247339"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}