Indiana Fever fire coach Christie Sides after 2 seasons

The Indiana Fever became the latest WNBA franchise to undergo a coaching change, parting ways with coach Christie Sides following her two seasons in the role, the team announced Sunday.

The move comes after a season in which Indiana — led by the star trio of Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell — posted a 20-20 record and made its first playoff appearance since 2016. The Fever lost in the first round to the Connecticut Sun.

“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.”

Sides went 33-47 (.413) in the regular season over her two campaigns with Indiana, helping guide the development of WNBA Rookies of the Year Boston (2023) and Clark (2024).

Sides was hired by the Fever in 2022 after serving as a longtime assistant coach in the WNBA and at the collegiate level, where she also held associate head-coaching roles. In August, she became the first coach in Indiana’s history to be named WNBA Coach of the Month.

Sides’ firing comes amid a broader change in leadership within the Fever. Following the season, Indiana brought back Krauskopf to oversee the Fever’s basketball operations after her stint as the assistant general manager of the NBA’s Indiana Pacers.

At Krauskopf’s introductory news conference, she said she was impressed by Sides, adding that the coach was a culture-builder who guided the team to a strong finish to its season. Indiana started the 2024 year 2-9 but was 9-5 after the Olympic break.

However, the decision to part ways with Sides was made anyway, and it comes as the Fever reportedly had recent conversations with current Connecticut Sun coach Stephanie White about the same role, while Sides was still on staff.

Krauskopf and White are familiar with each other, as White played for the Fever from 2000 to 2004, was an assistant coach from 2011 to 2014 and later coached the Fever in 2015 and 2016. White would seem to be a likely front-runner to return to the franchise if she can get out of her contract with the Sun.

The decision for Indiana to let go of Sides is also significant in that it now means six coaches have been fired this offseason. Los Angeles, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas and Washington are also seeking to hire new head coaches. Thus far, the only franchise to hire a new head coach this fall has been the incoming expansion franchise, the Golden State Valkyries, who brought in former Las Vegas Aces assistant coach Natalie Nakase as their first-ever head coach.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

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