Stephanie White Details Fever Strategy for Stopping Aces Star A'ja Wilson

Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White addressed the tough task ahead of her in facing Las Vegas Aces superstar A'ja Wilson.

Sep 18, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson (22) reacts to a play against the Seattle Storm in the third quarter during game three of round one for the 2025 WNBA Playoffs at Michelob Ultra Arena. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images | Candice Ward-Imagn Images

The Indiana Fever have their work cut out for them in facing the Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA Semifinals.

While the Aces didn't have a great 2024 campaign and started the 2025 season slowly, they have looked like the team that won two consecutive WNBA championships in the 2022 and 2023 seasons ever since the WNBA All-Star weekend in Indianapolis back in July. This includes Las Vegas going on a 16-game winning streak to end the regular season.

The biggest catalyst for this success is superstar forward A'ja Wilson. Wilson is the reigning WNBA MVP, has won this award three times already (and seems likely to win it once again this year), and if her career ended today, she would already be in consideration for the best women's basketball player of all time.

A player with that sort of pedigree is not ideal to play at any point, let alone in a postseason series when Wilson (who led the league in points per game this season, with 23.4) and the rest of the Aces' roster seem to be peaking at the perfect time. Add legendary coach Becky Hammon on top of that, and Fever head coach Stephanie White is likely having trouble falling asleep at night.

Sep 14, 2025; College Park, Georgia, USA; Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White on the sideline against the Atlanta Dream in the fourth quarter during game one of round one for the 2025 WNBA Playoffs at Gateway Center Arena at College Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Stephanie White Assesses How Fever Will Try to Slow A'ja Wilson Down

Quite frankly, the Fever don't stand a chance in this series if they don't at least find a way to slow Wilson down at times. Stephanie White understands this better than anyone, and she explained the team's strategy to try to do that when speaking with the media on September 20.

"I mean, look, she's just special," White said of Wilson, per the Fever's YouTube account. "There's just no other way to put it. She's convicted, she works her tail off, she understands what it takes... She's one of the best players in the world, and there's a reason. And she brings a tremendous challenge night in and night out."

She then added, "Look, you just have to try to make things difficult [for Wilson]. Great players are gonna find ways to do what they do. You just have to try to make it as challenging as you possibly can. Make them earn it. Nothing easy, don't bail them out, make her earn it. And then when they do, you live with it."

White deserves respect for admitting that once Wilson gets going, there's really nothing that can be done to stop her.

But that won't stop Indiana from trying to stop Wilson as much as possible, starting during Sunday's game.