Indiana Fever return to friendlier atmosphere after rallies and hearing boos on road trip

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Caitlin Clark, Sophie Cunningham and the Indiana Fever received a welcome respite from the glaring spotlight Thursday.

Back home, in Indiana, it was back to basketball.

The rallies that stirred up so much discussion during their most recent road trip were virtually non-existent. The boos they heard repeatedly last week turned into resounding cheers. Even the opposition to Cunningham's stance about keeping transgender women out of women's sports had mostly abated temporarily.

On a day nearly half of the 12-member U.S. FIBA Women's World Cup team took the court in Indianapolis, Fever coach Stephanie White and Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon managed to talk about the matchups between two of the WNBA's top teams.

It wasn't just players who were ready to move on from the controversy, even if it only stops briefly in Indianapolis.

“It's about time. I do want to get back to basketball,” said 24-year-old Carmen Edmainiston, a longtime Fever fan.

Thursday's game was another marquee matchup between perhaps the defending champion Aces and the most visible and televised team in the league. They met in last year's WNBA semifinals and twice earlier this season, with the Fever winning each game by more than 15 points on the road.

While it had all the trappings of home cooking — a sellout crowd decked out mostly in Fever red, a street vendor selling a T-shirt with a shot of Cunningham pointing with the phrase “Sophie Point God” and, of course, the loud roars during Indiana's player introductions — there also were reminders this was about more than just basketball.

The lone protester outside Gainbridge Fieldhouse made his argument in support of Cunningham's position with a bullhorn. Inside, the signs carried messages such as "I want to play like Sophie” and “Thank you for standing up for girls, Sophie!”

That wasn't the reception Cunningham got last week in Seattle, Portland or Minnesota, where coach Cheryl Reeve wore a T-shirt during Sunday's game with the message “Trans kids belong.” The Fever are expected to be greeted with another rally when they travel to Chicago on Saturday.

Cunningham has not backed off her stance despite the criticism.

“I was asked a question and that's simply what it was. I wasn't trying to make a statement. I was trying to clear the air, and I did that, back in February, so it is what it is,” she said Wednesday at practice. “We're in the middle of the season, so I'm going to keep it at that. Our team is good, my teammates are good, our locker room is great.”

Cunningham's position is merely the latest episode in a Fever season filled with drama.

While Clark and Angel Reese each have seven technical fouls, the most in the league and one short of an automatic one-game suspension, Clark also has been involved in a sideline spat with White. And, some of the contact she has incurred this season has stirred a debate that has reached the U.S. Congress over whether she's being unfairly targeted.

Following a rare three-day break away from her usual media duties, Clark weighed in when asked during a pregame news conference how she has dealt with life inside of a bubble where her every move and word is scrutinized.

“I think first and foremost, you speak when you feel like you want to speak,” she said. “I've been in this position for what, five years now, four years, and I think I have a good feel of what's going to be asked, what's not going to be asked, how to approach each situation and I try to just show up and be myself every single day, and I hope fans can feel like they can connect with me in that way."

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