Indiana Fever hires former Sun coach Stephanie White to replace Christie Sides

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PHOENIX, ARIZONA - SEPTEMBER 13: Connecticut Sun head coach Stephanie White watches the action during the game against the Phoenix Mercury at the Footprint Center on September 13, 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Sun defeated the Mercury 88-69. NOTICE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that by downloading and or using this photograph, User consents to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)

Stephanie White led the Connecticut Sun to a 55-25 overall record in two seasons as head coach. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)

The Indiana Fever have hired Stephanie White as their new head coach for the 2025 season, the team announced Friday.

White coached the Connecticut Sun for two seasons, leading the team to a combined 55-25 record and two straight playoff appearances. She won WNBA Coach of the Year in 2023, her first year at Connecticut.

“As we enter this new era of Fever basketball, I am thrilled to welcome Stephanie back to the franchise,” Indiana president of basketball operations Kelly Krauskopf said in a declaration. “Stephanie is part of the fabric of this franchise, both as a former player and as a member of our championship coaching staff, so I am very familiar with her elite basketball IQ and leadership style. I believe there is no one who understands better our culture or is more equipped to take our group of players to the next level.”

“I am incredibly proud and honored to return home to Indiana and lead the Fever during such a pivotal moment in the history of this franchise, as well as during such an important time throughout women’s athletics,” White said in the team’s statement.

White replaces Christie Sides, who was fired by the Fever on Oct. 27 after two seasons. Sides led Indiana to its first playoff appearance in eight years this past season before being swept by White’s Sun in the first round.

After weeks of speculation about White’s future, The Sun announced on 28 October that the team and White had parted ways in what appeared to be a mutual decision. Reports had circulated that White had spoken to other teams about her future.

Following those discussions, White will now return to Indiana, where she coached for six seasons, starting as an assistant in 2011. She was eventually promoted to the team’s head coach in 2015, spending two seasons in that position before leaving to coach the Vanderbilt women’s basketball.

White is also an Indiana native and was a standout women’s basketball player at Purdue; she spent most of her five-season WNBA career with the Fever before becoming a coach.

The Fever’s main young stars, Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston, both seem happy that White joined the team, with the two of them reposting the coaching message on their Instagram stories.

White told ESPN earlier this week that the choice to leave Connecticut was made for both professional and personal reasons. “It’s not an easy decision to leave Connecticut, but I think the best one for my family and my career,” White told ESPN.

In addition to White joining the team, Indiana will start next season with a new front office, where Kelly Krauskopf is employed as president in September and Amber Cox employed as operations manager and daily manager in October.