Fever fires coach Christie Sides after two seasons

Another WNBA team announced a coaching change as the Indiana Fever announced on Sunday that they had “parted ways” with coach Christie Sides.

The Fever, led by No. 1 pick and 2024 Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark, have fallen short of the franchise's first playoff berth since 2016.

Under Sides, who served two years as head coach, Indiana posted a 33-47 record, including a 20-20 record in 2024. The Fever's season ended with a two-game win in the first round of the playoffs against the Connecticut Sun.

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

Indiana entered the 2024 season in May with a 1-8 record, competing against what ESPN Analytics considered the toughest schedule in the WNBA before the Olympic break. The Fever finally found an identity for their new franchise in Clark, posting the league's third-best record of 18-9 from June 1 to September 10. Their offensive rating (109.6 points per 100 possessions) was the best in the league after the Olympic break.

“We are incredibly grateful to Coach Sides for taking on the challenge of leading us through a comprehensive transition period over the past two seasons while positioning us well for future growth,” Fever president of basketball operations Kelly Krauskopf said in a statement Explanation. “While decisions like these are never easy, it is also imperative that we remain bold and confident in the pursuit of our goals, which include maximizing our talent and bringing another WNBA Championship back to Indiana. Coach Sides has been 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 long career with the franchise — appeared to express her confidence in Sides.

“It takes time,” Krauskopf said at her opening press conference. “The teams that I had to put together took a long time, I mean, years. This won't happen in four months. It takes a few years. I've been really impressed with the progress they've made and how Christie is a resilient leader, you know, she's a culture builder Great leader. I was impressed with the way they finished.

The Fever, which returns 2023 Rookie of the Year Aliyah Boston along with Clark and hopes to re-sign All-Star Kelsey Mitchell in free agency, will go into 2025 with a new head coach, general manager (the recently hired Amber Cox) and a new president begin in Krauskopf.

Indiana is now the sixth WNBA team to have a head coach position, joining the Los Angeles Sparks, Chicago Sky, Atlanta Dream, Dallas Wings and Washington Mystics. Six of the seven bottom teams are all looking for a new coach.