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Fever Coach Stephanie White Announces Unfortunate Roster Decision

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Chris Phelps | Last updated Jun 13, 2025 3:10 PM ET

Stephanie White and the Indiana Fever have struggled with All-WNBA guard Caitlin Clark sidelined with a quad strain, falling to 4-5 to begin the 2025 WNBA season.

However, for Saturday afternoon's rematch against Sabrina Ionescu and the New York Liberty, the Fever could be returning some key players.

On Friday, one day before Indiana vs. New York, White spoke to reporters and revealed that both Clark and Sophie Cunningham "should be available" for Saturday's game. However, DeWanna Bonner may be out due to personal reasons.

With both Clark and Cunningham out for numerous games, the Fever brought in guard Aari McDonald via emergency hardship exception, which "allows any team to sign a player, with immediate effect, if a team drops below 10 game-eligible players at any time."

McDonald played well in three games with the Fever, averaging 11.0 points, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game. But with Clark and Cunningham returning, Indiana will be moving forward without McDonald.

During the same press conference on Friday, White was asked about the Fever having to waive McDonald in order to "to meet the 10-player roster minimum and WNBA emergency hardship exception requirements."

She confirmed the roster move.

"She's gonna find a spot (on a roster)," White said. "I don't think that's a debate right now. She's been the ultimate pro. She came in ready to go. She had watched such a large amount of film just on her flight that you could tell already her high IQ. She's a dog and we're going to miss her certainly. What she brought to the table for us and being able to come in at the point guard position and just really impact us right away."

Steph White on having to release Aari McDonald and how she’s impressed with the Fever:

“She’s gonna find a spot, I don’t think that’s a debate right now. She’s been the ultimate pro.” pic.twitter.com/wTaizCG7nS
— Chloe Peterson (@chloepeterson67) June 13, 2025

White finished with: "But yeah, she's not going to have a problem finding a job." The Fever will take on the Liberty at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. ET on ABC.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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