Steph White not with Indiana Fever, status for game at Chicago unknown

INDIANAPOLIS — Head coach Steph White was not with the team at practice on Friday because of a personal reason, an Indiana Fever spokesperson told IndyStar.

She will not be traveling with the team to Chicago on Friday afternoon, and her status for Saturday’s game against the Sky at the United Center is to be determined. If she is able to be in Chicago on Saturday, she will travel on her own — whether it’s driving or flying. The drive from Indianapolis to Chicago is about three hours, and the flight is less than an hour.

If White is not able to coach on Saturday, first assistant coach Austin Kelly would become the acting head coach. The Fever also have assistants Karima Christmas-Kelly and Briann January that would step into bigger roles.

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White has the utmost faith in them.

“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.”

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Kelly, who talked with the media on Friday, 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.

January also has also worked with White for three years, beginning in 2023 in Connecticut. Christmas-Kelly joined White’s staff in 2025 after two years on the Fever’s assistant coaching staff under Christie Sides.

Indiana is 1-0 against Chicago this season, beating the Sky by 35 in the season-opener on May 17. The Fever and Sky will play five times this season — three times in Indiana, twice in Chicago.