Fever Assistant Coaching Couple on Stephanie White's Staff Have Quite the Connection
There is a lot of excitement around the Indiana Fever's WNBA franchise right now.
Not only did the Fever advance to the playoffs for the first time since 2016 last season, but they did so on the backs of Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston, two generational talents (and massive global superstars) that seem destined to bring future WNBA championships to Indiana.
The Fever built on this success during the offseason by making highly respected former Connecticut Sun head coach Stephanie White their new head coach, a decision that's being universally praised.
And White is only going to receive more praise after the most recent updates she made to her coaching staff.
IndyStar reporter Chloe Peterson posted on X Tuesday, "NEWS: Austin Kelly and Karima Christmas-Kelly are joining Stephanie White’s staff on the Fever.
"The married couple will now be on the same staff — Kelly worked with White for two years in Connecticut, while Christmas-Kelly was an assistant under Christie Sides."
NEWS: Austin Kelly and Karima Christmas-Kelly are joining Stephanie White’s staff on the Fever.
— Chloe Peterson (@chloepeterson67) November 26, 2024
The married couple will now be on the same staff — Kelly worked with White for two years in Connecticut, while Christmas-Kelly was an assistant under Christie Sides.
It's awesome to see this assistant coaching couple working for the same team as opposed to facing off against each other.
Peterson followed up on her initial report Tuesday with a link to an article she wrote in May 2024 with the caption, "[Kelly and Christmas-Kelly] had a son, Zayn, in the summer of 2023, and they had to navigate being halfway across the country from each other for half the year while raising him.
"Now, they’ll be together the entire year."
They had a son, Zayn, in the summer of 2023, and they had to navigate being halfway across the country from each other for half the year while raising him.
— Chloe Peterson (@chloepeterson67) November 26, 2024
Now, they’ll be together the entire year.
My story from this past summer:https://t.co/qLLI7mZPDQ
The Fever have already been feeling like a familial culture since White's hiring. Now the franchise will be taking that sentiment literally.
Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.