Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White's decade-long relationship with ESPN sideline reporter Lisa Salters was apparently news to one of her rookies. First-year Fever player Raven Johnson told reporters, "Don't tell her this, but [White's] wife came to practice the other day, and I was like, 'Dang! You got some taste!'"
Reporters at Fever practice couldn't help but burst into laughter upon hearing the 23-year-old point guard's description of her coach's partner. Fans were equally stunned. As one wrote on X: "Watch out coach, she's a whole lot younger than you, lol."
Others were only surprised to see Johnson's ignorance about the relationship. White and Salters have been romantically involved since at least 2016, according to multiple reports. What's more, both women missed time from work in the spring of 2025 due to an illness in Salters' family – something that was heavily reported at the time. "The surprise is she didn't know this already," one fan remarked online. "Not like they been hiding it."
White and Salters have been together for a decade and currently live in Nashville. The longtime partners raise a blended family, sharing four sons – White's three biological children, Landon, 13, and twins Aiden and Avery, 11, from a previous marriage, and Salters' adopted son, Samuel, 11.
Johnson, meanwhile, has reportedly been dating Super Bowl champion and fellow South Carolina alum, Seattle Seahawks defensive back Nick Emmanwori.
The bigger news for Fever fans is what the addition of Johnson could mean for Caitlin Clark's return from injury. Already one of the WNBA's elite shooting guards, Clark is now being paired in the backcourt with Johnson, who was known as a defensive standout and playmaker under Dawn Staley with the Gamecocks. "She's probably the one I'll miss the most out of all the players," Staley said of Johnson, a two-time national champion at South Carolina.
Clark recently discussed Johnson after a preseason loss to the Dallas Wings. "The WNBA is a completely different style than what you play in college," Clark told reporters on Friday. "And, you know, I think also coach [White], she expects us to help younger players, and that's what we're going to do, and that's what we want to do."
"The best way to learn is to ask questions," she continued. "I still ask questions every single day because I still need to learn. And, you know, trying to be that not only for Raven, but the rest of the rookies and the new people that are on this team. So just been trying to help her, and she asked a lot of really great questions. As a point guard, it's a whole other load to carry as well. So, just trying to help her in every way I can."
Indiana opens the season on May 9 at home against Paige Bueckers, Azi Fudd and the Dallas Wings.
