Indiana Fever bring back original architect Kelly Krauskopf during 'unprecedented time of growth'
Indiana Fever bring back original architect Kelly Krauskopf during 'unprecedented time of growth'
This is a significant hire for a franchise that is now living in the spotlight. And ready for more with Caitlin Clark leading the team on the court.
UNCASVILLE, Conn. — It may be an off day for the Indiana Fever during their first playoff run since 2016, but there is major news within the franchise.
Kelly Krauskopf, the original architect of the franchise, is coming home. She’s returning as the team’s president of basketball and business operations at the conclusion of the 2024 WNBA season, the organization announced on Monday.
“The WNBA and the Fever have always been a part of me, and it is truly a privilege to be asked to return to lead this team at this unprecedented time of the growth in women's basketball,” she said. “I want to thank Kevin Pritchard for asking me to join his management staff six years ago. There's no doubt that experience will serve me well as I enter this next chapter.”
Krauskopf is resuming a role she previously had from 2000-2018. She also helped launch Pacers Gaming, the franchise’s NBA 2K League team, before accepting a position as assistant general manager of the Indiana Pacers.
So she is the one person to have the trifecta of experience with the Fever, Pacers Gaming, and Pacers — and she helped establish the first two.
When she moved on to her role with the Pacers in Dec. of 2018, Allison Barber was hired as Fever president of business operations. She announced earlier this month that she was moving on from that role at the end of the season.
Also of significance: This is the first major hire by Mel Raines since she was promoted to CEO of Pacers Sports & Entertainment in June.
“Kelly’s entire career has been about stepping into critical roles and providing unparalleled leadership, and I am incredibly excited to have her lead the Fever through this historic moment for the franchise and the sport,” Raines said. “She laid the foundation for the success we are enjoying and is a true trailblazer for the sport, and there is no one better equipped to lead us into this exciting new chapter.”
(Full disclosure: I was the first-ever Fever ball boy in 2003 and remained with the team through the 2012 championship season. I finished that season as equipment manager.)
Krauskopf, a proud graduate of Texas A&M, came to the Fever after serving as the WNBA’s first director of basketball operations — helping the league get off the ground and have staying power. Sensing a theme?
She has a tremendous feel for team — building a successful roster and coaching staff while providing the team what they need to be successful.
She believes in the process and having the right people involved.
Krauskopf considers longtime Pacers executive Donnie Walsh a role model. She also learned a lot from Larry Bird and Rod Thorn.
Also of note, especially given Team USA executives questionably leaving Caitlin Clark off the national team: Krauskopf was part of the committee previously in 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016.
She drafted Hall of Famer Tamika Catchings in 2001, a move that led the franchise to set a league record for 12 consecutive playoff appearances from 2005-2016.
“As the architect of one of the WNBA's most successful franchises, Kelly is a true pioneer in our sport," owner Herb Simon said in 2018. “I've worked with Kelly over the past two decades, so I know her tremendous basketball mind, strong work ethic and proven leadership skills will continue to be of great benefit to our organization.”
Her role in the Pacers front office wasn’t something she sought out, but she was willing to listen when Kevin Pritchard approached her about the opportunity.
Pritchard, the president of basketball operations for the Pacers, hired her to help handle some of the growing workload in NBA front offices. He wanted her to help find ways to improve their process and be better. He appreciated her basketball mind and experience, along with how the Fever won year after year.
“There’s no black or white answers (in the NBA), it’s all gray areas,” Pritchard said back then. “I wanted her to look at building a high-level winning team but also, in a big way, implementing championship culture.
“I’ve asked her to look at every process that we have from the draft to medical and try to improve our processes because we’re about a couple things. We’re about process, we’re about people and if we can make those two things better we’ll be in a better situation.”
Now here’s his perspective after almost six full seasons working together.
“Kelly has long been a trend-setter and trailblazer, and we could not be more excited for her as she returns to lead the Fever into a very bright future,” Pritchard said. “During her time with us, she was a key part of our front office and was integral in helping build the roster that reached the Eastern Conference Finals last season. As she leaves to write a new chapter in her already successful career, we are grateful for her contributions to the Pacers and wish her the best!”
In 2022, Krauskopf was proud to represent the franchise on stage at the draft lottery — then she talked with me afterward about that honor.
This news was announced one day before the Pacers hold their now annual front office reception with local reporters, and one week before media day (Sept. 30).
Krauskopf — who was often asked previously about whether she would want to be WNBA commissioner one day (including by me) — prefers to be part of a team. To have ownership of everything — from player evaluation to roster construction, managing relationships and then watching it play out on the basketball court.
“What I love is having our team, this is our city, this is our state,” she said previously.
Even working with the Pacers, Krauskopf attends Fever games from time to time. Including earlier this month against the Atlanta Dream.
This season, the Fever — and the league as a whole — have been elevated to new heights since the addition of Clark. Teams are now taking charter flights and national TV ratings are way up. Of the Fever’s 40 regular-season games, 38 were shown on national TV.
They added a local TV broadcast partner. Tickets, sponsorships, merchandise, social media impressions and more are off the charts. Road games were moved to NBA venues to accommodate fans. And there are more reporters covering the Fever than the Pacers.
It’s a special time for the Fever because of Clark, and much like whichever team LeBron James plays for, it’s important that they maximize that window. Because there will never be another.
In her rookie season, the 22-year-old Clark finished fourth in MVP voting. The Fever are easily the most followed franchise, nationally and on social media.
Krauskopf has experience with having a franchise star in Catchings, but nobody is like Clark. Her popularity is unmatched.
Surrounding Clark with more talent to build a contender is now her job. The Fever are the youngest and most inexperienced roster. They have Clark and second-year center Aliyah Boston; guard Kelsey Mitchell is in a contract year and will be a priority in free agency.
And the general manager is Lin Dunn, who began with the Fever in 2004 as an assistant coach. Then she served as head coach of the championship team.
What will be interesting to see is what veterans are intrigued with the movement happening in Indianapolis because of Clark — and want in.
Krauskopf values relationships, culture, and teamwork — and she knows how to build a championship roster. The Fever are not yet a contending team, but they’d like to be one soon.
“I wanted to win three or four (WNBA) championships,” Krauksopf told me in 2018. “One is not good enough.”
The Fever lost Game 1 of their best-of-three series to the Connecticut Sun on Sunday. And so Game 2 on Wednesday is now an elimination game — and they’re not ready for the season to be over.
When it is, Krauskopf’s work begins.