WNBA legend Sue Bird assessed how Becky Hammon and Stephanie White has opposite stances after Game 2 of the Fever vs. Aces series.
The two head coaches of the Indiana Fever vs. Las Vegas Aces Game 2 matchup in the WNBA Semifinals on September 23 seemed to have differing opinions on how the game was refereed. Aces head coach Becky Hammon didn't think the game's referees called enough fouls.
This was shown by her saying, "The, that's for sure... You put two hands on somebody like that, it should be an automatic foul. They have the freedom of movement, freedom of movement. There's no freedom. And I'm not saying we're not fouling too. I'm not saying that. I'm saying it's out of control," when speaking with the media after the game. She later added, "Most of my assistants come from the NBA, and they're like, 'This level of physicality would not fly in the NBA. There would be fights.'" Sep 9, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon calls out a play against the Chicago Sky during the third quarter at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images However, Fever head coach Stephanie White had an opposite stance, saying that the volume of fouls called disrupted the game's rhythm after Game 2. "Well, it's hard for us to find flow when there is a foul call every 10 seconds. I mean, it just really is," White said during her postgame press conference. "And when they're at the free throw line, we can't get up and down the floor. And that's a challenge."These different responses caught the attention of WNBA legend Sue Bird, who addressed what Hammon and White said during a September 25 episode of her"I think what makes this series so fascinating... You have Stephanie White after Game 2, talk about the fouls, and the amount of fouls called on the team impacting their flow. I think what she was saying... was 'Because we're getting called for fouls defensively, and we're sending them to the free throw line, we're unable to run. And that's impacting all of our flow.' "Literally probably 10 minutes later, Becky Hammon gets up there for the press conference, and she's like, 'This physicality is crazy. I have NBA assistants who, when they come to this league, they can't believe how physical it is. And if it was like this in the NBA, we'd be seeing fights left and right,'" Bird continued.She went on to note that the Fever dictated things defensively in Game 1 and that fouls weren't called. However, fouls were called on them in Game 2, which frustrated White and played a significant role in the Aces evening the series. Fans will want to keep an eye on how tightly the referees are calling this physical play during Friday's Game 3 contest.Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco , where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.
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