And the talks are off to the races again as another hot topic emerges from the watchful eyes of the WNBA fans. Caitlin Clark, Sophie Cunningham, and the Indiana Fever bench are again being put on the chopping block that we may get to pull apart and digest new developments.
With @sohali2012 saying that “The coach loves the bench mob. It’s the dumb assistants acting bossy.” There could be some sort of disagreement between the Clark-Cunningham bench cheering mob and Stephanie White’s assistant coaches.
To put to context, there might have been an incident where, as stated by @JaredKramer17, “Yes Briann January and Karina Christmas-Kelly need to chill.” And when pressed by another WNBA fan on why that is, the poster added “These two assistant coaches are constantly trying to rein in the emotions, specifically of Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham. They need to stop and let them cook. The energy does not need to be stifled rather encouraged.”
These two assistant coaches are constantly trying to rein in the emotions, specifically of Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham. They need to stop and let them cook. The energy does not need to be stifled rather encouraged.
— Jared Kramer (@JaredKramer17) September 29, 2025
And while it’s fair to think that the assistant coaches are just doing their job, it did seem on the original video that their boss, coach Stephanie White, finds these ladies more than welcome to show emotion and go all out in cheering rather than just staying still.
Keep in mind that knowing you ought to be there contributing but couldn’t due to an injury must be a really bad place mentally. So it is truly understandable if they want to be for their team on the sidelines if neither Caitlin Clark nor Sophie Cunningham could take to the court.
WNBA Fans Saw CC and Sophie’s Finger Twirl
And to think that the discussion about the bench mob was over. There’s another angle with WNBA fans debating the meaning behind gestures made by Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham. Both players were seen twirling their fingers during the contest, a common move in basketball trash talk. Some Fever supporters, however, claimed the act was not just gamesmanship but a sign of disrespect and even racial undertones, pointing to assistant coach Briann January, a franchise legend now on the sidelines.
Sports commentator Andy Froemel addressed the debate in a post that read:
“These WNBA fans claim Fever fans are about everything but basketball when they are saying Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham twirling their fingers is racism and disrespect to Fever assistant coach Briann January. This is why the league will make its first profit next season.” Froemel’s take was that fans are stretching the moment too far, turning a basketball gesture into an off-court controversy. Another user, @TruthToLight15, replied with a different perspective: “I know you want to ignore the comments. This is about how Sophie (not Caitlin) responds to the coach.” That response redirected the debate, suggesting the real issue lies in Cunningham’s interaction with January.
I know you want to ignore the comments. This is about how Sophie (not Caitlin) responds to the coach.
— E (@TruthToLight15) September 28, 2025
When players and coaches show disagreements in public, WNBA fans can easily see it as something bigger than it really is. That kind of drama takes attention away from the game. At the end of the day, WNBA fans deserve more than off-court storylines. What they want—and what will keep the league thriving—is women’s basketball played at its highest level. That alone provides all the drama anyone could ask for.
For more basketball content, click on Hardwood Heroics. Sabel Reyes can be reached through sabelreyes22@gmail.com. Other websites under the Sports Heroics umbrella are Gridiron Heroics and Wisconsin Heroics.
Sabel has been working as a field reporter for People’s Television Network (PTV), mainly about the Philippine Basketball Association since 2016 and has been elevated to Executive Producer for sports in 2022. Aside from being on top of the Philippine sports scene, she is also a running enthusiast. You can also follow her on X at @SabelReyes2 and Instagram at @msabelreyes.
