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."
AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
Indiana Fever guards Sophie Cunningham, left, Caitlin Clark (22) and center Aliyah Boston (7) stand on the court during the first half of a WNBA basketball game against the Minnesota Lynx, Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve watches play during the first half of a WNBA basketball game against the Indiana Fever, Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham stands on the court during the first half of a WNBA basketball game against the Minnesota Lynx, Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump hosted on Thursday dozens of Winter Olympians and Paralympians for a reception honoring their accomplishments in the Milano Cortina games earlier this year.
Nearly half of the Team USA athletes who competed in Italy came to the East Room reception, according to the White House, along with coaches, staff, and other representatives.
Among those attending was speedskater Jordan Stolz, whom Trump said was the single most-decorated American Olympian of the 2026 Games while marveling at his “very strong legs.” Stolz, during a rally with the president in Wisconsin earlier this summer, briefly placed a gold medal around Trump's neck.
“Today, we’re truly honored to welcome to the White House perhaps the greatest group of Winter Olympians in American history,” Trump said, as athletes in USA windbreakers filled rows of risers behind him.
They gave Trump a Team USA jacket and sneakers, and the president promised to hand out special coins and invited attendees to a post-event tour of the Oval Office.
Three hundred U.S. athletes participated in this year’s Winter Olympics and Paralympics, winning 57 medals in total. Thursday's event was originally scheduled to be held in the stone patio area that Trump had built near the Rose Garden, but was moved indoors as heavy evening rains fell.
“These men and women sacrificed years of their lives and countless early mornings to be the best in the world,” Trump said.
Then, apparently recalling himself as a one-time athlete, the president added, “That’s right. I guess you get up early in the morning, don’t you? I remember those days. But I didn’t do it as well as you. Not quite.”
Trump also asked who was already training for the next Olympics and most the athletes raised their hands. He noted that the 2034 Winter Olympics will be held in Salt Lake City and that Los Angeles is hosting the 2028 Summer Games.
The Olympic gold medal-winning U.S. men’s hockey team visited Trump at the White House in February and later received about a two-minute bipartisan standing ovation during his State of the Union address that night. Members of the gold-medal-winning U.S. women's hockey team declined an invitation to attend the speech, citing previously scheduled academic and personal commitments.
Trump said at the time that the women's hockey team would be honored at a later date, and two of its members, Abbey Murphy and Joy Dunne, attended Thursday's celebration and got shout-outs from Trump. He also spoke at length about the men's team, even though its members didn't make a return to the White House trip.
In a video posted earlier Thursday on social media, ice dancers Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik indicated that they did not want to come to the White House.
Trump stayed mostly focused on the Olympics and not politics in his remarks, though he told those assembled, “We’ve done a lot to help save women’s sports,” drawing only a muted reaction from some athletes. At his “Make America Great Again” rallies, Trump often gets cheers for declaring his opposition to transgender rights.
Trump also said Thursday that we’re “saving college sports” and called on Congress to pass legislation overhauling the way such sports are governed, promising to sign it.
“We’re doing everything we can to protect the cherished sporting traditions that have long been part of our nation from the beginning,” the president said.
President Donald Trump speaks as Elizabeth Lemley, lower center, and Jordan Stolz, top center, watch, during an event for Olympic athletes, coaches, staff, and representatives from Team USA in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump speaks as alpine monoskier Laurie Stephens, front center, smiles, during an event for Olympic athletes, coaches, staff, and representatives from Team USA in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump poses with alpine monoskier Laurie Stephens, left, and bobsledder Frank Del Duca, right, who presented him with gifts, during an event for Olympic winter athletes, coaches, staff, and representatives from Team USA in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump speaks during an event for Olympic winter athletes, coaches, staff, and representatives from Team USA in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
