Stephanie White Gushes Over Rookie Raven Johnson Amid Fever's 3-Game Win Streak
It was a big weekend in Indiana. Caitlin Clark served as grand marshal for the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, delivering the ceremonial command to send all 33 drivers to their cars, and picking 2022 winner Marcus Ericsson to take the event.
Unfortunately, it was Felix Rosenqvist, a fellow Swede, who won by just 0.0233 seconds, the closest finish in Indy 500 history.
Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White, who also made an appearance at the Indy 500, called the grand marshal role “one of the highest honors you can get in the state of Indiana.”
But at Monday’s practice session, White pivoted away from Clark and onto Indiana’s new rookie Raven Johnson.
“She’s a joy to be around,” White said. “She’s No. 1, a really good kid. She has this way about her that allows others to connect with her. She’s serious, but she’s also easy-going and has a great ability to connect with a lot of different people. And I think that makes her a really good leader … I just think that people are drawn to other people who have really good energy.”
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An Atlanta, Georgia, native, Johnson spent five seasons at South Carolina, where she became a two-time NCAA champion, SEC Defensive Player of the Year, and third-team All-American heading into the draft.
The 5-foot-8 guard is a relentless defender, unafraid to go toe-to-toe with bigger guards, and in her final collegiate season, she averaged 9.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 1.5 steals across 40 regular-season games.
The Fever selected her with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft, adding backcourt depth to a roster that already features Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell, and Johnson’s former South Carolina teammate Aliyah Boston.
Her preseason debut on April 25 proved why the Fever were so confident to take her. Johnson put up six points and eight assists on 3-of-3 shooting, with zero turnovers, and finished with the second-most assists in the WNBA during the preseason.
Now, through six regular-season games, Johnson is averaging 3.3 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 12.5 minutes off the bench. Recently, however, she’s made the most of her opportunities.
She scored nine points, three rebounds, one steal, and one block in 22 minutes against Portland, then followed it up with seven points, two rebounds, two assists, and a three-pointer in 15 minutes as Indiana cruised to a 90-82 win, their third straight.
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Clark is averaging a career-high 23.8 points and 9.0 assists this season, and the Fever sit 4-2, riding a three-game winning streak with a road matchup against the Golden State Valkyries on Thursday.
But for a team with championship aspirations, players like Johnson matter as much as the stars.
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This story was originally published May 25, 2026 at 10:06 AM.