The Indiana Fever have won five consecutive games, and the vibes are high. Caitlin Clark is playing at an MVP level, Kelsey Mitchell is scoring at a historic clip, Aliyah Boston has made tremendous strides — and Erica Wheeler has kept the energy up, whether she’s on the court or on the bench.
Indiana Fever player believes she was drug-tested for having ‘too much energy’
Erica Wheeler has been a beloved hype woman on the Fever sidelines, but it has apparently come at a cost.
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Noa Dalzell is a senior writer covering the WNBA and all of women’s basketball for Breakaway, SB Nation’s women’s sports vertical, as well as the Celtics for CelticsBlog.
Well, apparently, she’s kept the energy up a little bit too much — so much so that she believes that her behavior was flagged, and as a result, she was once again selected for a random drug test. It’s her third time being drug-tested this season, she said.
“No more dancing and acting on the bench cause apparently I got too much energy at 33 years old,” Wheeler wrote on X.
It’s well-chronicled that athletes are called for drug tests after big performances, but it’s a bit more unusual for that to happen after a 4-point, 1-rebound outing. That was Wheeler’s stat-line in Wednesday’s Fever win over the Los Angeles Sparks.
It’s been a pretty quiet season for Erica Wheeler, who is averaging 3.6 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 14.4 minutes per night. The 33-year-old, who has also played for the Liberty, Dream, and Sparks throughout her 10-year WNBA career, has assumed a more limited bench role this season after being a starter for most of her career.
Still, Wheeler has been an unwavering presence on the bench, and has consistently been one of the league’s most reliable hype women.
After her most recent drug test selection, though, she might just tone it down, she said.
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