Seeing the meteoric rise of Caitlin Clark’s celebrity on and off the court has new Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White seeing only one comparison.
“She’s very much Taylor Swift 2.0,” White told The Athletic during a Q&A interview.
Clark’s fame from her days at Iowa, where she became the NCAA’s all-time leading Division I scorer for both men and women, only rose this past season after she was selected No. 1 overall by the Fever.
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The Indiana Fever welcome Stephanie White as their new head coach Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, during a press conference held on Salesforce Court at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. (IMAGN)
Clark went on to win Rookie of the Year, while also making the WNBA All-Star team. And she broke numerous rookie and league records on the way to ultimately being named TIME’s Athlete of the Year.
With heightened fame, Clark has faced criticism on and off the court, and every movement is naturally dissected by those looking on.
So, Clark’s ability to manage that rapid rise in fame while still being dedicated to her craft is the reason why White can’t help but compare her to the world’s biggest pop star.
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“I think first and foremost, she does an outstanding job of managing it all,” White explained to The Athletic. “Like, she’s incredibly humble. She understands the big picture. So, she views it understanding her celebrity, No. 1. But No. 2, she’s a Midwest kid, a Midwest person, and she is who she is. She tries to live her life in an authentic way. But she’s very much Taylor Swift 2.0.”
White, who was hired in November 2024 after Christie Sides was relieved of her duties, said it’s up to her and her staff to “protect her” as that celebrity status continues to grow.
“So, I think from my perspective, and from our staff and franchise, it’s how do we help her navigate all of this? How do we help her protect her peace? Because it can be a lot. How can we be a resource for her? It’s a different level now with social media and fan engagement. We want to be a resource and help protect her.”
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) plays against the Dallas Wings in the second half of a WNBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)
It feels right White compared Clark to Swift considering their connection that has already been seen in public. Clark and Swift were spotted watching a Kansas City Chiefs playoff game last month, sitting next to each other in a suite at Arrowhead Stadium.
Also, Clark was spotted at Swift’s Eras Tour on multiple stops this past year, as she is a big fan of her music.
Like Swift, Clark is certainly hoping to continue making an impact in her field by the year, and White touched on the offseason work that shows her a “stronger” point guard on her roster.
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“She’s got a lot of self-awareness,” White said of Clark. “She figured out right away that ‘I need to get stronger. I can’t get knocked around as much.’ She’s done a great job of getting in the weight room and focusing on her strength, in terms of low center of gravity, time under tension, all of those things. I think the next step is efficiency. Not so many turnovers, higher field goal percentages.”
The Fever have also been proactive in getting some more talent around Clark and Aliyah Boston, most notably adding two-time WNBA champion and six-time All-Star forward DeWanna Bonner. Natasha Howard, a three-time champion and two-time All-Star, will also be on the roster for 2025.
New Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White compares Caitlin Clark to Taylor Swift. (IMAGN)
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So, expectations are naturally raised with a better starting five on the floor for Indiana. White understands that, and also knows making sure Clark can be her normal self on the floor — not worried about the outside noise and the celebrity status — will hopefully lead the Fever to their championship goals.
“From a coaching perspective, keep the main thing the main thing,” she said about Clark. “Help her protect her peace and then help her continue to grow on the basketball court. We let our players know sometimes you gotta minimize the noise around you and focus on what our job is. Our job is to put the best team and the best product on the floor that we’re capable of doing.”
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