Indiana Fever head coach Christie Sides out after two seasons as franchise undergoes overhaul at the top
The Fever become the sixth WNBA franchise in search of a new leader. The decision to fire Christie Sides was made by Kelly Krauskopf one month after she returned as team president.
The hunt is officially on for the Indiana Fever’s 10th head coach in franchise history.
Christie Sides is out as head coach after two seasons, the team announced at 11 a.m. on Sunday. The decision was made one month after their first-round exit to the Connecticut Sun.
“Leave it better than you found it,” Sides wrote in a tweet two hours later.
Sides went 33-47 as Fever head coach, her first opportunity. She helped the team navigate unprecedented attention, pressure, and outside negativity. Her focus from the beginning was for the team, herself included, to block out the constant stream of outside noise.
It also didn’t help that the WNBA gave them an inhumane schedule to start: 11 games in 20 days, including two of their first three games against the 2024 WNBA Champion New York Liberty.
But they persevered.
Then they thrived after the Olympic break and Sides was named WNBA Coach of the Month in August. They led the league in scoring (89.7 ppg) and ranked fifth defensively during the month of games.
“From where we were in the month of May to where we are now, it's just shown with our players and our staff the resiliency that we've had and continuing to just do what we have to do,” Sides said last month.
“The perception was we were not going to be very good, and I was not very good at my job in May, and that's OK. … When teams win, it's the players, and when teams lose, it's the coach, and I knew I signed up for that.
“Now, the atomic bomb (Caitlin Clark) that landed with the Fever and the outside — just how different it was. That was tough to navigate, trying to make sure our players were not — they are social media people. This is their generation, and so for them to be so affected by it and just trying to explain to them … just keep the noise out.”
Sides was hired on Nov. 4, 2022, replacing Marianne Stanley and interim head coach Carlos Knox. But she hired by Pacers Sports & Entertainment CEO Rick Fuson and Fever president Dr. Allison Barber.
Fuson retired in June after 40 years and Barber left after the season to take a new job elsewhere.
Mel Raines was promoted to CEO of Pacers Sports & Entertainment in June.
Then last month, before the playoffs, she brought back Kelly Krauskopf as team president. (Outgoing GM Lin Dunn will remain on as a senior advisor.) Krauskopf had spent the past six seasons as assistant general manager for the Indiana Pacers.
She then hired her GM, Amber Cox, who is coming over from the Dallas Wings and is scheduled to start on Monday (Oct. 28).
“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,” 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 helped the Fever go from five wins to 13 and 20, respectively, in her first two seasons. She guided the team through a season unlike any other — from drafting Caitlin Clark — who was voted Rookie of the Year and finished fourth for WNBA MVP — at No. 1 to then seeing record attendance (home and away), TV ratings and fan interest overall.
This past season, they finished 20-20 and returned to the postseason for the first time since 2016 — Tamika Catchings’ final season.
“We're competitors,” Sides said. “We want to win and on top of all the outside noise, expectations made it really difficult.
“There's just some people who, if you've not sat in the seat that I'm in or with the players, you don't understand the process that it takes to rebuild a team. And second year of a rebuild, that's where we are right now, second year of a rebuild. When I was offered the job, Rick Fuson at the time asked me how long it would take me to get us back to the playoffs.
“I said, ‘Rick, I think I can do it in four years, possibly three.’ And he was awesome, gave me a four-year contract, and we've done it in two, which is incredible. And that has everything to do with our players, the people that we brought in.
“There were some low moments in May, but we just tried to keep focusing forward, focusing forward, staying positive. That was the main thing, trying to keep things from going sideways. And my staff did an excellent job, and the players continued to buy into our process.”
The next head coach must be experienced and understand the full circumstances of what they’re entering. It’s a dream job — with Clark, full support of management, and championship aspirations.
Of the 12 WNBA teams from last season, there are now six openings: LA, Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas, Washington, Indiana.
That doesn’t even include the Golden State Valkyries, an expansion team who hired Las Vegas Aces assistant Natalie Nakase to be their first coach.
Led by Clark and the Fever, the WNBA experienced incredible growth during the 2024 season. WNBA app downloads supposed one million downloads, social engagement was up almost 300%, All-Star voting was up 538%, and merchandise sales were up 601%.
The league attracted more than 54 unique viewers across six national TV networks, and the Fever set a new attendance record with 340,715 fans. And most recently, the WNBA recorded its most-viewed finals in 25 years, averaging 1.6 million viewers.
The league is on the rise, and the Fever are both the most interesting and most-watched team. So who’s next to lead the team?
That will be for Krauskopf to decide.
She chose not to be involved with exit interviews, instead allowing for the previous staff to finish out the season. Krauskopf did, however, connect with several players and planned to reach out to the rest of the team, as well as their agents, soon after.
She has great familiarity with Stephanie White, who has a buyout with the Connecticut Sun, and Jenny Boucek, who is on staff with the Pacers.
Also: Former Fever All-Star guard Briann January and former Pacers assistant Tyler Marsh, both of whom are on track to be head coaches eventually. Curt Miller is available as well.
Additionally, it’s easy to wonder: could land a veteran college head coach who is frustrated by the new normal with NIL (name, image, likeness) and is seeking a new challenge?
“I have high expectations,” Krauskopf said at her re-introductory press conference, “first of myself and then I have that of our staff and of our team. This is a place where players can come and get better and be surrounded by an organization that supports you. They're going to have everything they need to be successful.
“So if you have the right DNA and you love the game and you love to compete, then you're going to be a great fit with this team. Because we're about winning. This is a winning franchise. We've had constant success of winning and being in the playoffs, and my plan is to return us to that level of consistency.”
The next key date is Dec. 6 for the expansion draft. All 12 teams will be able to protect up to six players from their roster of 12 and the Valkyries may select no more than one player from each team.
By then, the new-look Fever front office and coaching staff will be settled in and gearing up for a new season. With a championship being the focus.
Agree with all the names. Have to think Lisa Bluder is going to at least get a call to see how serious she is about retirement. Does Candace Parker want to coach and would this be too complex a job for a first timer?
As I have said not a Kelly Krauskopf fan!!! Lin Dunn got a new job and or demotion! Sides was given a job for 4 yrs with the understanding it was a 4 yr rebuild!