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Fever's Stephanie White could get fresh start amid WNBA coaching shakeup
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- Fever's Stephanie White could get fresh start amid WNBA coaching shakeup
Fever's Stephanie White could get fresh start amid WNBA coaching shakeup originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
Upheaval in the Indiana Fever front office could trickle down to the bench -- where Stephanie White has done an admirable job in trying circumstances over the past two seasons.
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White's return to the Fever bench in 2025 brought with it renewed hopes of a first Indiana championship since 2012. The injury-wracked Fever reached the semifinals in White's first season back in Indy before they suffered a first-round exit to the Las Vegas Aces last month.
That triggered the departure of team president Kelly Krauskopf -- which had been anticipated. It also saw the Fever dismiss general manager Amber Cox, after a bombshell report in The Athletic laid bare the image issues that Indiana has faced around the league .
MORE: Fever's Sophie Cunningham reveals drastic personal measure taken after 2026 WNBA season
White herself has felt the strain of coaching Caitlin Clark, Sophie Cunningham and the Fever, who are the WNBA's biggest draw -- and who have been slammed for failing to get a grip on the toxicity coursing through their fanbase.
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"Certainly, my therapist helps. My family helps. I have the luxury of being able to sort of minimize what gets in," White said in September about the pressures of being the Fever's coach. "But, at the end of the day, nobody likes to be a subject of ugliness from the internet."
Indiana's front office overhaul might put White in a position to become the franchise's top decision-maker. But what if she is tired of the whole experience?
Now that the New York Liberty job has opened up, USA Today's Cory Woodroof thinks White could be tempted by the allure of the Big Apple, and a fresh start with the talent-laden Liberty following Chris DeMarco's dismissal Tuesday.
"If White gets let go by the Fever when they hire a new general manager, she's going to be the most coveted coaching free agent available... or at least she should be," Woodroof writes. "With a roster that's largely complete, we wonder if White could hit the ground running with New York if she's really looking for a new gig in the winter."
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White would be a big coup for the Liberty: a proven winner who has earned the respect of her players. It's also feasible that she could look for a change of scenery, despite Indiana's strong 2026 season.
That said, the Fever would be loath to lose White as the front office undergoes changes and as prized free agent Kelsey Mitchell flirts with a move to another team. And White might have the most to gain as Indiana shuffles the deck: she can build the 2027 Fever in her image if she's given the decision-making power.
