Indiana Fever hire new head coach as Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston find out their fate

The Indiana Fever have acted quickly in naming a new head coach for the recently departed Christie Sides and Caitlin Clark will enter her second WNBA campaign with a new boss

The Indiana Fever has acted swiftly in naming a new head coach: the team has named former Connecticut Sun boss Stephanie White as their head coach for the 2025 WNBA season.

White inked a two-year deal with the Fever as the team looks to improve upon last season’s 20-20 finish. Star rookie Caitlin Clark led the league in assists and three-pointers made while veteran Kelsey Mitchell recorded a career-high of 19.2 points per game.

The 47-year-old White was named WNBA Coach of the Year in 2023 when she led Connecticut to a 27-13 finish and a trip to the semifinals. She previously served as Indiana’s head coach in 2015 and 2016, leading the team to consecutive playoff appearances and a trip to the 2015 WNBA Finals.

White will replace the recently departed Christie Sides, who served as the Fever’s head coach for both the 2023 and 2024 seasons.

The team officially unveiled their new head coach on Friday. “I am incredibly proud and honored to return home to Indiana and lead the Fever during such a pivotal moment in this franchise’s history, as well as during such an important time throughout women’s athletics,” White said.

“This franchise has and always will be committed to winning and I look forward to working every day to help deliver another WNBA title to the greatest basketball fans in the world.”

White led the Indiana Fever to the WNBA semifinals in 2015 during her previous stint with the team ( 
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White was a four-year star at Purdue as an undergraduate. She was a consensus All-American and the Big Ten Player of the Year in 1999 as she helped the Boilermakers win an NCAA championship.

She was the 21st pick in the 1999 draft by the Charlotte Sting but spent the majority of her WNBA playing career with the Fever (2000-2004). She would serve as an assistant coach at various colleges before joining the Chicago Sky in a similar position. White joined the Fever coaching staff in 2011 and was named head coach in 2015, leading the team to the 2015 WNBA Finals.

Expectations will be high for White and the Fever in 2025. Clark is already one of the top players in the league with her fourth-place 2024 MVP finish but could easily distance herself from the pack early in the 2025 campaign.

“As we enter this new era of Fever basketball, I am thrilled to welcome Stephanie back to the franchise,” said Kelly Krauskopf, Indiana’s President of Basketball Operations.

“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.”