Christie Sides Fired as Indiana Fever Head Coach Amid Massive WNBA Offseason Overhaul
Despite the massive growth that the Indiana Fever showed in their 2024 WNBA regular season compared to their 2023 campaign, second-year head coach Christie Sides was still under much scrutiny.
This was especially clear after the Fever started the season 1-8. At that point, many fans and media members were clamoring for Sides to get fired because they believed she wasn't maximizing the talent of rookie sensation Caitlin Clark and was also making questionable playing time decisions.
While the criticism calmed down as the season progressed (and the Fever improved), the fact that Connecticut Sun head coach Stephanie White was rumored to be available — and the Fever being listed as one of the teams trying to hire her — made it sound like Sides was on the chopping block.
And that's exactly what occurred, as the Fever announced on Sunday that they have officially parted ways with Sides.
We have parted ways with head coach Christie Sides.
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) October 27, 2024
More: https://t.co/eBb0wRuBlF pic.twitter.com/Ja5S3uGPOb
Their October 27 press release notes new Fever President of Basketball Operations Kelly Krauskopf saying, “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.
"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," Krauskopf continued.
The Fever firing Sides constitutes another major change for Indiana's staff this season. They hired Krauskopf as a new President of Basketball Operations, Amber Cox as a new General Manager, former GM Lin Dunn moved to an advisory role, and now they'll be acquiring a new head coach.
While Indiana's pursuit of White — who has an extensive history with the Fever franchise — hasn't been announced, their parting ways with Sides makes it seem like Indiana is likely close to acquiring the Sun head coach.
Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.