Stephanie White has built a reputation as one of Indiana’s most determined basketball figures, but her most important victories are often won far from the spotlight.
As head coach of the Indiana Fever, she is tasked with reviving a proud franchise in a new WNBA era.
At home, she carries another role: guiding four children through their formative years with the same dedication she once brought to national championships and playoff runs.
For White, those two identities – coach and parent – have always been inseparable. Her decision to return to the Fever bench was not just a career move but a family one, shaped by her desire to be closer to her three sons during years she insists “you don’t get back.”
White’s connection to Indiana basketball runs deep. She was a prodigy at Seeger High School, setting a state scoring record with 2,869 career points before heading to Purdue.
In West Lafayette, she became a national champion in 1999 and collected individual honors, including the Wade Trophy and Big Ten Player of the Year.
Her success carried into the WNBA, where she spent five seasons with Charlotte and Indiana, known more for her grit and leadership than statistics.
Those traits laid the foundation for her coaching career, which has included stints at Vanderbilt, with the Fever, and in the NCAA before her latest return to Indiana in 2025. But behind every accolade, her family story has always influenced her decisions.
A male-dominant household
White’s household is as busy as any locker room. She is the mother of three boys: Landon, born in 2011, and twins Aiden and Avery, born in 2013.
Her longtime partner, ESPN and ABC reporter Lisa Salters, also adopted a son, Samuel, in 2013. Together, White and Salters are raising four boys in a blended family built on mutual respect and a shared love of sport.
Their closeness was visible earlier this year at the NBA’s Ruffles Celebrity Game, when White’s sons surprised her on the court with flowers during a Valentine’s Day broadcast.
The Fever coach, caught completely off guard, broke into a wide smile before hugging her children. It was a reminder to fans and players alike that beneath the competitive exterior, family remains her anchor.
White often speaks about how her role as a mother shapes her as a coach. She has brought her children into locker rooms and practices, not only out of necessity but also as a teaching tool.
“Bringing our kids around shows our players that we’re human,” she has said in the past. For her, motherhood reinforces values she tries to instill in her team: accountability, resilience, and the importance of community.
Her eldest son, Landon, once underscored how much of their world is built around women’s basketball.
Meeting Indiana Pacers players for the first time, he turned to his mom and asked: “Mommy, boys play basketball too?”
The innocence of the question reflected just how strongly he associated the game with his mother’s career.
From small-town values to big-time responsibilities
The influence of family on White’s career stretches back to her own upbringing in West Lebanon, Indiana. Raised by her mother, Jennie, a teacher and Purdue graduate, she was taught values of hard work, honesty, and education.
Those principles became the foundation of her playing career and now inform how she guides both her players and her children.
Her path to family life has included change. She was married to her high school sweetheart, Brent McCarty, before the marriage ended in 2002.
Years later, she married Michelle Fletcher, with whom she had her three children. When Indiana still banned same-sex marriage, they traveled to California to make their union legal.
Today, she shares her life with Salters, building a blended family that reflects the same adaptability and perseverance that have defined her career.
A coach and a parent
Now in her early 40s, White is navigating both the pressures of professional coaching and the challenges of raising teenagers.
As the Fever continue to rebuild, her balancing act between the demands of the WNBA and life at home offers a glimpse into why she resonates so deeply with Indiana fans: she is relatable, grounded, and unwavering in her priorities.
For White, success has never been measured only in points or wins. It is also in the lessons she teaches her children, that hard work matters, that integrity lasts longer than fame, and that support for family is non-negotiable.
Those same values ripple through her team, offering a reminder that the greatest leaders often draw strength not just from ambition, but from the lives they build beyond the court.
Read the full article here
