Fever ax Sides despite Clark stardom, playoff bid

Yet another WNBA team announced a coaching change when the Indiana Fever said Sunday that they had “parted ways” with coach Christie Sides.

The Fever, who were led by 2024 No. 1 pick and rookie of the year Caitlin Clark, are coming off the franchise’s first playoff berth since 2016.

Under Sides, who spent two years as head coach, Indiana went 33-47, including a 20-20 record in 2024. The Fever’s season ended with a two-game sweep in the first round of the playoffs by the Connecticut Sun.

Sides was hired after the 2022 campaign to replace Marianne Stanley and her interim successor, Carlos Knox. Sides had two seasons remaining on a four-year contract. The Fever have not had a head coach stay longer than three seasons since Lin Dunn (2008-14).

Indiana started the 2024 season with a 1-8 in record in May, going up against what ESPN Analytics deemed the toughest schedule in the WNBA prior to the Olympic break. The Fever eventually figured out an identity surrounding their new franchise piece in Clark and from June 1 to Sept. 10 boasted the third-best record in the league at 18-9. Their offensive rating (109.6 points per 100 possessions) was best in the league after the Olympic break.

Sides seemed to comment on the situation with a post on X on Sunday afternoon.

Leave it better than you found it.✌🏼

— Christie Sides (@ChristieSides) October 27, 2024

“We are incredibly thankful to Coach Sides for embracing the challenge of leading us through an integral transition period over the last two seasons, while also positioning us well for future growth,” Fever president of basketball operations Kelly Krauskopf said in a statement. “While decisions like these are never easy, it is also imperative that we remain bold and assertive in the pursuit of our goals, which includes maximizing our talent and bringing another WNBA championship back to Indiana. Coach Sides was an incredible representative of the Fever and our community, and we wish her nothing but success in the future.”

Earlier this month, Krauskopf — a former Indiana Pacers executive who announced she was returning to the Fever after a lengthy career with the franchise — appeared to give a vote of confidence in Sides.

“It takes time,” Krauskopf said at her introductory news conference. “It took a long time for the teams that I’ve had to jell and to get together, I mean, years. It doesn’t happen in four months. It takes a few years. I was really impressed with the progress that they made and how Christie is a resilient leader. You know, she’s a culture builder. I know just that she’s got that kind of, you know, stamina to stick to it and stick to her plan, and she’s a good person, and she’s a great leader. I was impressed with the way they finished.”

The Fever, who along with Clark return 2023 rookie of the year Aliyah Boston and hope to re-sign All-Star Kelsey Mitchell in free agency, will enter 2025 with a new head coach, general manager (the recently hired Amber Cox) and president in Krauskopf.

Indiana is now the sixth WNBA team with a head-coach opening, alongside the Los Angeles Sparks, Chicago Sky, Atlanta Dream, Dallas Wings and Washington Mystics. Six of the bottom seven teams in the standings are all looking for a new coach.