Why is Stephanie White away from Fever for Valkyries clash? Indiana forced to make coaching adjustment ahead of key game

Stephanie White will not be with the Indiana Fever when they take on the Golden State Valkyries in a regular-season matchup on Thursday. The news was first reported by Chloe Peterson of the Indy Star in a Thursday post on X.

According to Peterson, White will miss the Fever-Valkyries game because of undisclosed personal reasons.

"NEW: Steph White will not be with the team at Golden State tonight for personal reasons," Peterson wrote.

The Fever writer revealed that assistant coach Austin Kelly will take charge of the Thursday game. Indiana had hired Kelly back in November 2024, shortly after hiring White as the new head coach.

Kelly has worked with Stephanie White before during their time together at the Connecticut Sun. He served as an assistant coach for White in 2023 and 2024, helping to lead the Sun to the WNBA Semifinals in both of those seasons.

Coach White's absence should not affect the team much, given that her right-hand man will be there. Thursday marks the start of a three-game road trip for the Fever, where they are scheduled to face the LV Aces next, followed by the Seattle Storm.

As of now, there is no news on Stephanie White's status for the two other road games.

Stephanie White voices criticism for the officials following a physical 88-71 Fever win over the Connecticut Sun

The Fever vs Sun game on Tuesday was probably one of the most physical games played in the league this season. It was a heated matchup that saw the officials hand out six technical fouls, two flagrant fouls and three ejections.

However, despite the challenges, the Fever walked away with an 88-71 win. Following their victory, Stephanie White attended a post-game conference where she voiced her criticism of the referees.

"I think it was pretty obvious that stuff was brewing, right?" White told reporters. "When the officials don't get control of the ballgame, when they allow that stuff to happen, and it's been happening all season long."

The Fever are currently in a good place with a 6-5 record under White's coaching. They are the sixth seed in the WNBA standings and are on a two-game win streak. Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham's returns played a big part in getting the Fever back on the winning track.

Meanwhile, DeWanna Bonner is also out due to personal reasons. The veteran star will not play against the Valkyres on Thursday, missing her third straight game in the process.

Edited by Alvin Amansec