Sue Bird Explains 'Funny' Difference Between Becky Hammon and Stephanie White
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 (who won the game 90-68) didn't think the game's referees called enough fouls. This was shown by her saying, "The physicality is out of control, 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.'"
However, Fever head coach Stephanie White had an opposite stance, saying that the volume of fouls called disrupted the game's (or at least her team'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."
"It's hard for us to find flow when there is a foul call every 10 seconds"
— AK (@Sudharsan_AK10) September 24, 2025
That Aces w'histle is nasty😭😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/a6TwrtQdxk
Sue Bird Gets Honest About Fever, Aces Coach's Different Post-Game Sentiments
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 Bird's Eye View podcast.
"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.
"And I just find that to be so funny. But it really tells the story of the series," she added.
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.
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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 (USF), 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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