The Fever and Pacers have a lot in common. Both teams feature a young star guard, are known for their fast pace on offense, and hope to build a championship team around their surging stars. The Pacers got close to winning a title this year, taking the Oklahoma City Thunder to seven games in the NBA Finals. Tyrese Haliburton tore his Achilles in Game 7, and the Pacers ended up losing the game 103-91.
The Fever are close to giving fans in Indiana another finals series to enjoy. If they win Game 5 against the Las Vegas Aces, they will go to the finals despite losing six players to injuries. Leading a team with several key players out and hardship players coming in regularly on a deep playoff run, is quite the accomplishment from Stephanie White.
Fever fans aren’t the only ones impressed with her performance. Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle also gave White her flowers. During Pacers media day, he said, “I’m a big fan of hers. I’m learning a lot watching her coach.”
Stephanie White’s first season as Fever head coach hasn’t been easy
The Fever’s 2025 season has been full of drama. First, it became obvious that signing DeWanna Bonner in the offseason hadn’t paid off. The fit just didn’t work out, and the Fever ended up waiving Bonner, so she could sign with a new team.
After that, injuries continued to decimate the Fever’s depth. Caitlin Clark only played 13 games, and Aari McDonald, her replacement, went down after 20 games. Sydney Colson, the team’s backup point guard, suffered a season-ending injury in the same game as McDonald. Sophie Cunningham and Chloe Bibby were the next casualties. Going into the playoffs, Damaris Dantas was also ruled out with a concussion.
So, the Fever went into the playoffs without their star guard and key role players. Instead, they have to rely on Odyssey Sims, Shey Peddy, and Aerial Powers who just played twelve, nine, and eight regular-season games with the Fever, respectively, and rookie Makayala Timpson.
Despite the inconsistencies and injuries, White has managed to get the best out of her players. Sims, for example, is the Fever’s third-leading scorer in the playoffs. Behind strong play from her, Kelsey Mitchell, Aliyah Boston, and Lexie Hull, the Fever managed to upset the Atlanta Dream and pushed the Aces to their limits in the semifinals.
After all the injuries, few people would have expected the Fever to win a playoff game. Now, they are just one game away from securing a trip to the finals for the first time since 2015.
Stephanie White is a proven head coach
This season is far from the first time Stephanie White has found success as a head coach. In 2015, she became the first rookie head coach in the WNBA to lead a team to the finals. In 2023, she was named Coach of the Year after a successful first season with the Connecticut Sun. She led the Sun to two consecutive semifinal appearances.