Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White cheers for her team Saturday, June 14, 2025, during a game between the Indiana Fever and the New York Liberty at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Indiana Fever defeated the New York Liberty, 102-88. Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Fever Coach Stephanie White Missing Valkyries Game for 'Personal Reasons'

Originally posted on Indiana Fever on SI | By Grant Young | Last updated Jun 19, 2025 1:31 PM ET

Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White missed her team's June 7 game against the Chicago Sky because of what IndyStar sports reporter Chloe Peterson called "personal reasons".

When White (who returned for the team's June 9 game against the Atlanta Dream, and has been with the team ever since) addressed this absence with the media, she said, "You know, I'm doing all right. It's helpful that we have such a great group, pouring into me and helping give me strength... You know, our family is working through a hard time right now. And no matter what, I'm gonna be where my feet are, but I'm really thankful for this group."

On June 19, Peterson made an X post that read, "NEW: Steph White will not be with the team at Golden State tonight for personal reasons.

"Austin Kelly will be the acting head coach, similar to how he was at Chicago."

NEW: Steph White will not be with the team at Golden State tonight for personal reasons.

Austin Kelly will be the acting head coach, similar to how he was at Chicago.
— Chloe Peterson (@chloepeterson67) June 19, 2025

While it's unclear whether these are the same personal reasons as White's absence earlier this month, ABC and ESPN's Mike Breen indicated what this aforementioned absence was for during the NBA Finals Game 2 broadcast.

"We are thinking of our dear friend and colleague, Lisa Salters. Lisa's mom has been dealing with some serious health issues for a while now, so we want to send our love to Lisa and her mom," Breen said, per an X post from Awful Announcing. "Although we've never met her mom, we owe her a debt of gratitude for giving us the gift of Lisa Salters, who is the teammate everyone in our business should strive to have."

Mike Breen: "[Lisa Salters'] mom has been dealing with some serious health issues for a while now... Although we've never met her mom, we owe her a debt of gratitude for giving us the gift of Lisa Salters, who is the teammate everyone in our business should strive to have." ️❤️ pic.twitter.com/7YJHlKfiwh
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 9, 2025

Salters is White's partner. Therefore, one can likely assume that White's absence for Thursday's Fever game against the Valkyries is related to what Breen said about Salter's mother.

This article first appeared on Indiana Fever on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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