Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White labelled the treatment of Caitlin Clark by WNBA officials and opponents as "absolutely egregious and utterly disrespectful".

Clark was forced off with a back injury during the Fever's 111-109 defeat to the Phoenix Mercury on Wednesday, with the guard missing the last quarter at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

The 24-year-old scored 19 points, shooting three-for-four from beyond the arc, and provided eight assists prior to her injury, while she also received a few blows from the Mercury players.

The most notable incident occurred in the second quarter when DeWanna Bonner and Alyssa Thomas both fell on Clark, with Thomas appearing to push her fist into Clark's neck before getting up.

The two sides also met on Monday, when six technical fouls and one ejection were called in a win for the Fever.

Clark missed a game last month due to a back issue, and White believes the treatment of her star player must change.

"We have a generational talent and WNBA superstar who had two cheap shots [against her] right there that weren't called," White said. "Absolutely unacceptable."

"Number one, you've got to call it. It's absolutely egregious and utterly disrespectful.

Injury Update: Caitlin Clark (back) will not return to tonight's game.

— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) June 25, 2026

"[The referees] are coming in here aware of what happened two nights ago, and that s*** still happens.

"And the reckless closeout that they actually reviewed... that wasn't upgraded. To me that's like a do-over on a test; how do you screw it up again?

"Absolutely disrespectful. We spent all off-season looking at officiating, and I still say the one thing that we keep asking for is consistency.

"[Clark] is not called the same way as everybody else is called. The fist in the throat is crazy. It's crazy. It's dangerous.

"When you have these things continue to happen time and time and time again, eventually it gets frustrating."