Just hours after being announced as the Indiana Fever’s new head coach, Stephanie White continued in her role as an analyst for Friday’s game between the Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers. During the broadcast, play-by-play announcer Ryan Ruocco noted that her phone was buzzing with congratulatory messages.
White’s appointment on Friday marked a return to the Fever, her hometown team. A native of West Lebanon, Indiana, and a Purdue alumna, White both played for and previously coached the team.
Ruocco jokingly asked Stephanie White if she planned to reply to the texts flooding her phone. White then revealed just how many messages she had yet to answer:
“One ninety-seven. And I’ve responded to some already,” White said.
Earlier today, Stephanie White was hired as the Fever’s new head coach.
Now, she’s calling an NBA game on ESPN 👏 pic.twitter.com/2hZsGAAhFY
— espnW (@espnW) November 2, 2024
After her rookie year with the Charlotte Sting in 1999, White joined the Fever, where she spent five seasons as a player. She then joined the coaching staff from 2011 to 2016, serving first as an assistant (2011-14) and later as head coach (2015-16), helping the team win a WNBA championship in 2012 and reaching the WNBA Finals in 2015.
In a statement from the Fever, team president of basketball operations Kelly Krauskopf expressed excitement about White’s return.
we have named Stephanie White as our next head coach.
welcome home, @StephanieWhite!
📝
https://t.co/77Th6d6PoH pic.twitter.com/V3C5wSwKfN— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) November 1, 2024
“As we enter this new era of Fever basketball, I am thrilled to welcome Stephanie back to the franchise,” Krauskopf said. “Stephanie is a part of the fabric of this franchise, both as a former player and as a member of our championship coaching staff, so I’m quite familiar with her elite basketball IQ and leadership style.”
“I am confident there is no one who better understands our culture or is more equipped to lead our group of players to the next level.”
With rookie superstar Caitlin Clark, the Fever broke an eight-year playoff drought in the 2024 season, though they were defeated by the Connecticut Sun, White’s former team, in the first round.
Stephanie White reveals what she’s most excited about in Fever return
During the Magic-Cavaliers broadcast, Ryan Ruocco asked Stephanie White what she was most looking forward to in her return to the Fever.
“I think there’s so many things,” she said. “First and foremost, it is home, right? This is a franchise that’s a part of my DNA player there, coach there, was a part of the championship there, certainly working with Kelly Krauskopf, working with Linda again, and then this exciting young roster.”
“It’s such a pivotal moment in women’s basketball and the WNBA history. It’s 25 years ago when I initially joined the WNBA. It’s what I what I have always envisioned this league being and to be able to do it at home. It’s just really special.”
White spent the last two seasons as head coach of the Sun, where she led the team to back-to-back WNBA semifinals and posted a record of 55-25.
In the 2023 season, Stephanie White was honored as the WNBA Coach of the Year and the Associated Press Coach of the Year.
