The 2025 WNBA season was Stephanie White’s first year back as the Indiana Fever head coach. Previously, she was the Fever’s assistant coach from 2011 to 2014. She then became head coach for the 2015 and 2016 seasons before joining Vanderbilt to coach the Commodores.
Despite dealing with multiple injuries that derailed the roster last season, White still led the Fever to the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup title.
Advertisement
The upcoming season faced uncertainty as the league and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association negotiated a new collective bargaining agreement. The initial deadline for their deal was March 10. However, a new deal was not finalized in time, delaying free agency and training camp.
The WNBA and WNBPA agreed to a new deal, 51 days before the start of the WNBA’s 30th season.
Coach White spoke about the challenges of this offseason to her team and how they prepared despite the uncertainty.
Advertisement
“It was challenging just because there were so many unknowns,” White said in an interview on the “Query & Company” podcast. “You didn’t know when things were gonna break, if they were gonna break, when we were gonna have a resolution.”
White admitted that the period of uncertainty over the negotiations brought her anxiety.
“The waiting and the unknown is, as we all know, oftentimes, the highest anxiety piece. So it’s challenging in that way,” she said, “It becomes even more of a challenge once you get down to, now everything’s thrown together (in) a period of like 10 days.
Advertisement
“You’re trying to get your team together. Thank goodness I don’t have to do what the GM does, trying to figure out numbers and build a team from that standpoint.”
The quick turnaround is one of the main challenges White faced during the offseason.
“And then once we finally figure out who’s on our team,” she added. “Now we’ve got about three days to prepare for training camp.”
Despite that, she acknowledged that what they went through was necessary for the WNBA’s growth.
Advertisement
“It’s been challenging in those ways,” White said. “It’s been a necessary challenge for where we are to the point of our league and the growth of our league. But, yes, it does bring some anxiety.”
White and the Fever have overcome these challenges, and they are now ready to head into the new season with renewed hope and lofty objectives.
Related: Fever Facing Backlash After Unexpected Raven Johnson Move
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Apr 18, 2026, where it first appeared in the WNBA section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
