The Indiana Fever officially announced that they have parted ways with head coach Christie Sides, after days of rumors. As her exit was made official, she went on to X to leave a short but clear message about her dismissal from the franchise, despite helping Caitlin Clark and the team reach the playoffs.
Sides wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “Leave it better than you found it,” with a peace sign emoji. She arrived in Indiana in November 2022, and she had two seasons remaining on her four-year contract. She went 33-47 in her two seasons with the team.
This past season, the Fever, led by Clark, earned their first playoff berth since 2016. However, they were eliminated in the first round of the WNBA postseason by the Connecticut Sun.
Kelly Krauskopf, Fever’s president of Basketball Operations, said in a statement: “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.”
Head coach Christie Sides holds back Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever during the first quarter against the Connecticut Sun (Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
“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,” she added.
Rumored candidates for the Fever
Stephanie White, who is under contract with the Sun through 2025, is the top contender for the Fever’s head coaching vacancy. Annie Costabile reports that “while nothing has been made official, multiple sources expect White, who’s still under contract with the Sun, to be the Fever’s next coach.”
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Other candidates that are being considered for the position include Cheryl Miller and Lisa Bluder as top candidates. Sides’ firing goes hand-in-hand with the Fever’s renovation, as they recently hired general manager Amber Cox and appointed Krauskopf as a president back in September.
