In a do-or-die game, it didn’t do the Fever any favors when the team’s highest average scorer of the playoffs, Kelsey Mitchell, had to leave halfway through the 3rd quarter. What was initially presumed to be a left leg injury later turned out to be lower-body cramping. White did her best to hold hope during the matchup, saying, “Again, we’ve been in this position before, right? We’ve got to play for our teammate. We got to fight for our teammate”. However, once they lost, it became hard for the head coach to control her emotions.

During the post-game presser, Stephanie White was asked about an update regarding Kelsey Mitchell. The coach stated that “She’s got a lot of lower body cramping. She’s currently at the hospital right now getting fluids”. As she spoke, White found it hard to control her tears. Her voice kept cracking in between her remarks.

Even in that low moment, though, she made sure to praise her team, adding, “unfortunately, we have a lot of experience in rallying around teammates, and you know this group is all heart, man. Like it’s just really hard to put into words. They’re just…. they’re just special.”

Not only White, but Mitchell’s teammates and rivals alike were concerned about her after the injury. After Kelsey Mitchell went down with 5:05 minutes remaining in the 3rd quarter, the Fever squad surrounded her with towels while she lay on her back. The staff stretched her leg as she was seen rolling over onto her stomach. Stephanie White walked up to her while Mitchell was getting carried to the locker room with the support of 2 people.

And as she was being taken away, the crowd at the Michelob ULTRA Arena, made up of mostly Aces fans, encouraged Mitchell with applause. Also, several Aces players, including A’ja Wilson, walked up to Kels.

Ever since Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham were sidelined due to their injuries, Kelsey Mitchell has stepped up as the lead scorer and the player on whom the offense depends. Over the course of 8 games, she became the Fever’s top scorer in the team’s playoff run by averaging 22.3 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 3.0 assists. Therefore, losing her during the game had an effect.

Stephanie White reportedly attempted to get her players to recover from the absence of their key player by saying, “Again, we’ve been in this position before, right? We’ve got to play for our teammate. We got to fight for out teammate. Tooth and nail. Ain’t nobody in a better position to do this than us. Ain’t nobody. But we got to stay locked in. We’ve got to stay locked in in everything that we do. This, we got to feel it. But when we step out on the floor, we’ve got to honor it. We’ve got to honor it in everything that we do.” The encouragement might have worked, since the remaining Fever players took the game to overtime. However, the Aces still won the game by a 107-98 score.

Coming so close only to lose, and risk your star player’s health at the same time, would make anyone upset. Stephanie White isn’t someone to get emotional that easily. However, for Kelsey Mitchell, the head coach can shed both sad and happy tears.

Stephanie White Once Cried With Happy Tears After Kelsey Mitchell’s Praise

Before the beginning of the postseason, ESPN had 9 staff members predict their choice of teams that would prevail in the playoffs. When they had to choose between the Atlanta Dream and the Indiana Fever matchup series, all 9 of the staff members voted for Atlanta, while 8 of them voted that Brittney Griner and co would sweep the Fever. The odds certainly weren’t in the Fever’s favor. Despite that, Kelsey Mitchell and co took the series to a Game 3 and won! For the player-of-the-hour, even getting through the first round would not have been possible without the head coach.

In the aftermath of Game 3, Mitchell and Stephanie White participated in a presser. During the same time, Mitchell gave her flowers to her coach by saying, “I’ve had five coaches in eight years. I’ve been on the worst record teams here in [the] Indiana Fever, so I know where my career started at… And I’ve never had a coach that poured into me, respectfully, like Steph has”. She added on to that praise by stating that White makes her feel like she has someone that values what she brings to the table “as a player and a person”. The player also claimed that it’s hard to find coaches who believe in you, but she got lucky with White.

As Mitchell continued speaking, the 48-year-old could be seen tearing up. She had to take a moment to raise her glasses and wipe the tears that were coming.

Talk about an emotional roller-coaster. With any hope, there is nothing but success and happiness when Stephanie White leads a healthy Fever squad through the 2026 WNBA season.