Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White will not coach vs Valkyries on Thursday; what we know
The Indiana Fever announced head coach Stephanie White will miss Thursday's game at the Golden State Valkyries for personal reasons. Austin Kelly will serve as acting head coach.
Kelly previously filled in for White in the team's 79-52 victory over the Chicago Sky on June 7. White and ESPN/ABC broadcaster Lisa Salters are partners and both stepped away from their duties that weekend as Salters' mother dealt with a health issue, according to ABC broadcast of the NBA Finals. It's not known if White is missing Thursday game for the same reason.
Re-live Caitlin Clark's spectacular rookie season with our collector's book
"My staff is so good and trusting in them that if I needed to be away for a period of time, it's status quo," White told IndyStar ahead of the season. "Our team knows that, they have great respect for them, and I know that, and I trust them implicitly, so it gives even more peace of mind."
Kelly has worked with White for three years now. He joined her staff in Connecticut in 2023 and followed her to Indianapolis after she took the job with the Fever.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
18 minutes ago
- USA Today
Legacies on the line in NBA Finals Game 7: What's at stake for Thunder, Pacers
All that's at stake is legacy. The victor of Game 7 of the NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers will shape the narrative, the frame through which the winning team is remembered. If it's the Thunder... Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will go down as having an all-time great season. He will have notched a regular season Most Valuable Player award — and probable Finals MVP — and will have led Oklahoma City, which tied for the fifth-most victories in a regular season (68), to its first NBA championship since moving to the city and the franchise's first since 1979, when it was the Seattle SuperSonics. Jalen Williams will emerge as a legitimate star whose Game 5 heroics in a 40-point masterpiece lifted the Thunder. And Mark Daigneault, 40, will reinforce his position as one of the premier coaches in the NBA, leading the second-youngest team to win a Finals in NBA history — which implies OKC could be in position to repeat. If it's the Pacers... Point guard Tyrese Haliburton will obliterate the 'overrated' narrative that has unfairly followed him since The Athletic published a player poll that labeled him the most overrated player in the league. He will wrap an unprecedented run of clutch postseason play with a title. Pascal Siakam will become a two-time champion and see his profile raised further. Rick Carlisle will become just the fourth coach — joining Phil Jackson, Pat Riley and Alex Hannum — to win championships with two different teams. His status as an innovative and adaptable coach who entrusts his players will be unquestioned after leading the decided underdog Pacers to an NBA title, their first in franchise history. Game 7s in the Finals are special, with this marking just the 20th in history. Just the very nature of the games — the magnified stakes, the drama — can define legacies. 'Respect isn't something that we can just talk about and receive — it's an earned thing,' Haliburton said in a Saturday, June 21 news conference. 'No matter what happens, it's still probably not going to be where necessarily it 'should' be or what we think it should be. 'It doesn't really matter, though. I think from our standpoint — teams we compete against, they respect us. I think that's the most important thing. … We are in a great, great point right now in our organization's history and for our team specifically. You've got to be really excited about the chance to compete in one game to win a championship.' It becomes a very different story with a loss — for both squads. The Thunder suddenly will be framed as front-runners and Gilgeous-Alexander's greatness and efficiency will likely be overshadowed. Detractors will get louder with their 'foul merchant' critiques and almost certainly will say the Thunder got a favorable whistle and still couldn't do anything with it. Similarly, a defeat would likely only strengthen the barbs hurled at Haliburton. Indiana's up-tempo, free-flowing offense may be discounted as a gimmick and an operation — despite Indy's success this postseason — not suitable to win when it counts. Critics will likely say the Pacers still need a true star. The reality, however, is that it serves teams no use to consider narrative and legacy before a Game 7. While players and coaches certainly do reap future profits from championship runs, Game 7s are — in their most distilled terms — just another game. Forty-eight minutes for a team to top another. The glory cannot come without the actual victory. The secret to success, therefore, likely requires some willful ignorance, some intentional blocking out of the context of the game. 'You try to make it as binary as possible,' Thunder guard Alex Caruso, a champion with the 2020 Lakers, said Saturday. 'You're either going to win or lose. That is literally what's going to happen. The season is going to be over and you're going to be champion, or you're going to lose and start from square one. You might as well go out and put your best forward and compete your (butt) off and play hard for your teammates and try and win.'
New York Times
33 minutes ago
- New York Times
How to watch Fever at Aces: Caitlin Clark, Indiana face big test in Las Vegas
Sunday's WNBA slate promises one of the most intriguing matchups of the season. The Indiana Fever, led by second-year phenom Caitlin Clark, will take on A'ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces, winners of two of the last three WNBA championships. Las Vegas swept the four-game season series in 2024, but the circumstances couldn't be any more different as these squads head for their first highly anticipated showdown of the 2025 campaign. Advertisement Coverage can also be streamed on ESPN+. With a rebuilt roster and a new head coach on the sidelines, the Fever appear to be a legitimate title contender. Despite a 6-6 record (4-3 when Clark plays), Indiana has the third-best odds to win the WNBA Finals on BetMGM — trailing only the reigning champions, the New York Liberty, and last year's runner-up, the Minnesota Lynx. Clark has followed up her historic rookie season by averaging 19.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 8.7 assists while shooting 41.7 percent from the field and 35.5 percent from 3-point range. She's already recorded a triple-double and dropped 32 points, eight rebounds and nine assists in her return from a hamstring injury to knock off the Liberty, handing the defending champs their first loss of the season following a 9-0 start. The Fever are still putting the pieces together, but they've already clinched a spot in the 2025 Commissioner's Cup final, which has regularly been a predictor of postseason success. In 2023 and 2024, the teams that made the Cup final also went on to meet in the WNBA Finals. On the other hand, the Aces (5-7) have gotten off to their worst start since Wilson's rookie season in 2018. Wilson missed a few games due to concussion protocol, but the issues run deeper. Once virtually unbeatable, Las Vegas now ranks in the bottom half of the league in offensive and defensive rating and has already endured multiple 20-point losses. Six-time All-Star Jewell Loyd (11.5 points per game) has also struggled to get acclimated. Even still, Wilson has played transcendent basketball. The three-time MVP and two-time Defensive Player of the Year leads the Aces in points, rebounds, blocks and steals per game, highlighting her immense importance to this team. Wilson, who sustained a concussion against the Los Angeles Sparks on June 11, returned to the lineup in Friday's loss to the Seattle Storm. She put up 20 points and a team-high 14 rebounds. Advertisement The Aces and Fever will face off two more times after Sunday. Indiana hosts Las Vegas on July 3 and 24. Streaming and ticketing links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication. (Photo of Caitlin Clark and A'ja Wilson: Ethan Miller / Getty Images)
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Washington Commanders star spotted at NBA Finals Game 6
The Commanders were represented at the NBA Finals on Thursday. The NBA Championship series game six was being played in Indianapolis, as the Indiana Pacers, down three games to two, were hosting the Oklahoma City Thunder in a must-win game for the Pacers. The Pacers broke open a tight game early in the second quarter and never looked back, defeating OKC by 17 points (108-91). In attendance was Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin. Most Commanders fans probably recall McLaurin being drafted in the third round of the 2019 NFL draft, having played his college ball at Ohio State. Not as readily known (and understandably so) is that McLaurin was actually born in Indianapolis. Most recently, McLaurin made the news because he did not attend OTAs or the mandatory minicamp. He is negotiating a new deal. Under contract through the 2025 season, McLaurin has made no indication that he might not show up for the beginning of training camp. Two weeks ago, there was a report that McLaurin was frustrated with the Commanders. However, seeing that McLaurin never broadcast his feelings on the matter via social media or the press, there was reason to believe that perhaps his agent was the source of the "report." As of Saturday (June 21), no public details of the contract were known. We do not know if the sticking point is years of the contract, guaranteed money, or perhaps money upfront that is preventing the deal from being consummated. We simply don't know anything that would help us understand why the two parties have not yet come to an agreement. McLaurin played his high school football at Cathedral High in Indianapolis, so it's understandable that Terry is definitely pulling for the Pacers in the NBA Finals. Mark Clayton, a big-time receiver in the NFL for the Miami Dolphins and Green Bay Packers (1983-93), also played his high school ball at Cathedral. In all, ten Cathedral players, have played in the NFL, with Clayton and McLaurin being the most recognizable of the group.
