A packed Gainbridge Fieldhouse, a blonde wig, and a 111-91 victory. Friday evening in Indianapolis generated numerous narratives, but there was one ex-NBA player who ensured he was the most vocal.
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Royce White, an ex-NBA player who dons a blonde wig in his satirical “Royshia” persona, attended a Fever game sitting court side at Gainbridge Fieldhouse and posted a 14-minute video on X commenting on the Fever environment and Clark’s game.
“But she is incredible. And it embarrasses me, the hate that I see her get, which is so obviously racial in its nature,” White said in the video, adding later, “Anybody who’s hating on her, you guys are, I mean, it’s embarrassing. I’m embarrassed for you.”
The weight of his words is carried by his experience playing basketball, being a first-round pick in the NBA, and his use of that experience to heap praise on Clark while bashing those criticizing her.
These words come days after another viral video of Clark, when a clip showing her moving the arm of a cameraman who got in her way as she ran onto the floor garnered two million hits.
That was said after a game where Clark gave White much to talk about. She had 34 points, five rebounds, 12 assists and three steals as the Fever defeated the Connecticut Sun 111-91.
The game was also historic for Clark because she became the first WNBA player ever to put up 30 or more points along with 10 or more assists in consecutive games.
“I mean, I don’t really care about the stats,” Clark said after the game, when asked about her new records. “I think when I’m just flowing and playing, that’s kind of what follows.”
White’s arrival certainly was not an isolated event. It followed quickly after former NBA star Enes Kanter Freedom was removed from a Fever road game in Chicago after an altercation with Sky guard Natasha Cloud.
That altercation had resulted in the Chicago Sky banning Kanter Freedom from Wintrust Arena altogether, since team owner Michael Alter considered him a possible danger to the arena.
Royce White clearly made an effort to make a distinction between the two settings, and he praised the atmosphere in Indiana in comparison to what Kanter Freedom faced just a few days ago in Chicago.
“There’s a stark contrast in the environment here in Indiana at the Fever arena, at the Fever game, versus what Enes Kanter went through there in Chicago,” White said in the same video.
Both Freedom and White have set their appearances based on a common cause since the WNBA has made both of them ineligible to play in the draft, calling their campaigns bad-faith publicity stunts.
White’s lawyers have since warned of legal action because of discrimination, indicating that these courtside appearances may not be the end of their disagreement.
The Fever is set to have an interval of three weeks for the FIBA World Cup in Berlin, where Clark, Aliyah Boston, and coach Stephanie White will be representing the United States of America. The Fever is currently ranked fourth in the league with a record of 26-14, with four games left until the playoffs.