Stephanie White and the Indiana Fever were one of the more surprising teams during the 2025 WNBA season. Finishing the regular season with a 24-20 record, the Fever secured the No. 6 seed in the playoffs, upsetting the No. 3 seed Atlanta Dream in the first round without guard Caitlin Clark. But their season came to an end in the semifinals, falling to the No. 2 seed Las Vegas Aces 3-2.
Now, White and Indiana will prepare for the 2026 WNBA season, with Clark expected to return fully healthy. The former Iowa star was limited to just 13 games in 2025 due to multiple injuries, including issues with her groin and ankle. The Fever will open the 2026 season at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, hosting Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings on May 9.
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Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) and head coach Stephanie White.Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
(Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images)
The 2026 WNBA season will also introduce two new expansion teams, the Toronto Tempo and the Portland Fire, bringing the total number of teams to 15. And on Friday, the league held the expansion draft, where both new teams selected players from the 13 existing teams. Each expansion team had the opportunity to make up to 12 selections (six per round across two rounds), though they were not required to use all of them. Existing teams could protect up to five players from being drafted, and no existing team could lose more than two players total.
With one of their late picks in the 2026 WNBA Expansion Draft, the Fire selected former Indiana forward Chloe Bibby, who spent the second half of the 2025 season with the Fever due to the team’s ongoing injury issues. The Tempo, meanwhile, selected former Fever guard Kristy Wallace, who sat out the 2025 season due to personal reasons. The moves leave White and the Fever without Bibby and Wallace going forward.
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“The Portland Fire have picked Chloe Bibby, a reserved free agent, off the Fever’s roster,” IndyStar’s Chloe Peterson wrote on X. “The Fever officially lose two players (Kristy Wallace to Toronto) to the expansion draft, but neither affect their core group.”
White and the Fever will open the 2026 WNBA season on Saturday, May 9, at 1:00 p.m. ET against the Wings.
Related: Aliyah Boston Makes Request to Indiana Fever Ahead of 4th WNBA Season
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Apr 3, 2026, where it first appeared in the WNBA section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
