The crowd joins New York Liberty in celebrating the WNBA Championship victory
The New York Liberty emerged victorious in the WNBA Championship against the Minnesota Lynx and celebrated their victory on the streets of New York.
The Indiana Fever hired Stephanie White as coach from Caitlin Clark & Co. on Friday, a transfer that had been speculated for weeks.
White, 47, spent the past two seasons as head coach of the Connecticut Sun. She was named the 2023 WNBA Coach of the Year and 2023 All-Star Game coach. She led the Sun to consecutive semifinal appearances, compiling a 55-25 regular season record and a postseason record of 7 yielded -7.
“I am incredibly proud and honored to return home to Indiana and lead the Fever during such a pivotal time in the history of this franchise, but also during such an important time in women’s athletics,” White said in a statement press release. “This franchise has always been committed to winning and always will be. I look forward to working every day to deliver another WNBA title to the greatest basketball fans in the world.”
White was a Fever assistant in 2012 when Indiana won its only WNBA championship.
Fever president of basketball operations Kelly Krauskopf described White as “part of the fabric of this franchise, both as a former player and as a member of our championship coaching staff, so I am quite familiar with her elite basketball IQ and leadership style. I am confident that There is no one who understands our culture better or is better equipped to lead our group of players to the next level.”
With the 2025 Fever, White will inherit 2024 Rookie of the Year Clark, one of the most exciting athletes in all of sports. Clark, along with 2023 Rookie of the Year Aliyah Boston, is a dynamic scorer and passer who has helped take the WNBA to unprecedented levels of popularity. The Fever return to a strong core with Clark and Boston, and re-signing Kelsey Mitchell – who is now an unrestricted free agent – will be a top priority this offseason.
White replaces Christie Sides, who was fired on October 27.
On October 28, the Sun announced that they had “parted ways” with White, and it appeared to be an amicable split. The Fever had reportedly spoken with White about taking over Indianapolis, and she had also been in discussions about continuing her tenure in Connecticut.
On October 29, White told ESPN.com that it was “not an easy decision to leave Connecticut, but I believe it is the best one for my family and my career. It has meant a lot to me – I am so grateful to Jen (Rizzotti, president of Connecticut Sun) and the organization. It is a top organization. For me to be able to return to coaching – which I didn’t know if it would be possible – with such a great team and coaching staff, it has meant a lot to me… ultimately it’s hard for me to be away from my family. So from a professional and personal point of view, I think this is the best decision.”
Indiana is a familiar home for White. White, an Indiana native and 1999 graduate of Purdue, previously coached the Fever in 2015 and 2016. The Fever went 37-31 over that stretch, falling in the 2015 WNBA Finals to the Minnesota Lynx and losing in the first round of the 2016 playoffs. (White also played for them from 2000-2004.)
The possibility of returning to Indiana became official when the Fever announced they had fired Sides after two seasons and a 33-47 record. After a 1-8 start, Sides led the Fever back to the play-offs for the first time since 2016. Indiana was swept by the Sun in the first round.
White also works as a college basketball analyst for ESPN and called some of Clark’s games when she played at Iowa.
Before the Fever played Connecticut in the May 24 season opener, Clark was asked what she thought of the then-Sun coach.
“She obviously called a lot of my games throughout college, and I think she has a great basketball mind,” Clark said at the time. “I think she’s done a great job calling college games, it’s been great to see her at NBA games. I think what she’s done has just been a pioneer. I think she’s someone who has made my game has supported.”
Contributions: Indianapolis Star
Follow Lindsay Schnell on social media @Lindsay_Schnell
This story has been updated with new information.
