Stephanie White Assesses Newest Fever Player Brought in on Hardship Exception

On June 2, the Indiana Fever announced that they had signed guard Aari McDonald to an emergency hardship exception contract, which became an option after Indiana suffered three injuries to guards Caitlin Clark, Sydney Colson, and Sophie Cunningham over the past week.

McDonald was the No. 3 overall pick of the 2021 WNBA Draft and then spent three seasons with the Atlanta Dream before going to the Los Angeles Sparks in 2024, where she averaged 8.7 points and 21.8 minutes per game.

Given that the Fever have no other guards available to play right now aside from Kelsey Mitchell, it's clear that McDonald will be getting minutes during the team's June 3 game against the Washington Mystics.

And Stephanie White gave her assessment of McDonald when speaking with the media on June 2.

"I mean, I've always been impressed with her ability to defend, her activity on the defensive end of the floor. Her ability to get to the paint and make a decision when she gets there," White said of McDonald, per Scott Agness' YouTube account.

"She is a true point guard, so she brings that energy, she brings the ability to dictate. And she has been really good so far. It has been a lot of information to absorb quickly, and she has done a great job with it," White continued.