Thursday night is do-or-die for Stephanie White and the Indiana Fever.
The Fever are taking on the Las Vegas Aces in Game 3 of their first round playoff series. Las Vegas won Game 1, while Indiana took Game 2. Things got heated at the end of Game 2, with A’ja Wilson’s fan incident, but Game 3 moves back to friendlier territory in Las Vegas.
White will be coaching in one of the biggest games of her career on Thursday evening. It’s been an up-and-down season for the Fever, but a win against the Aces in a huge Game 3 would go a long way toward making fans confident about her role moving forward.
Off of the court, things have been difficult for White, who has faced a lot of hate and vitriol from fans around the league. White, 49, has been seeking therapy, which has been helpful.
Colin Hubbard-Imagn Images.
“It’s tough,” White said. “Certainly, my therapist helps. My family helps. I have the luxury of being able to sort of minimize what gets in. But, at the end of the day, nobody likes to be a subject of ugliness from the internet.”
“Oftentimes, what happens on the internet then becomes articles in the news now,” White continued. “We didn’t used to have that. It used to stay on the internet. It stayed on social media. And so, now, it becomes news.”
White’s family includes ESPN sideline reporter Lisa Salters. The couple has been together for about 10 years.
Indiana Fever coach has been dating ESPN sideline reporter for 10 years
White and Salters have been together for roughly a decade. White, who played most of her WNBA career in Indiana, was happy to get to land a job with the beloved franchise.
The Fever coach initially married her high school sweetheart, Brent McCarty, and the couple had three sons together. However, the couple ended up divorcing and she began dating the veteran ESPN sideline reporter.
Salters has an adopted son and the couple shares four children together.
The couple, which now lives in Indiana during the season, previously had a home in Nashville, according to a 2022 release from the Connecticut Sun.
Fever guard Raven Johnson is impressed by the relationship.
Salters, 60, has been a veteran sideline reporter for ESPN for decades. She’s known for her coverage of the NFL, NBA and more.
They certainly make quite a power couple.
