Christie Sides Sends Blunt Seven-Word Message About Indiana Fever Firing
Despite second-year head coach Christie Sides being a big part of the Indiana Fever making it to the WNBA playoffs for the first time since 2016 in the 2024 season, Indiana still decided to fire Sides on Sunday.
This decision came as a shock for multiple reasons. One is that new Fever President of Basketball Operations Kelly Krauskopf offered Sides a lot of praise earlier this month, saying, "I think the outside noise, what she had to endure as a coach... it takes time. It took a long time for the teams that I've had to gel and get together... It takes a few years. So I was really impressed with the progress [the Fever] made, and how Christie is a resilient leader.
"She's a culture builder. I know she's got that kind of stamina to... stick to her plan, and she's a good person and a great leader, and I was impressed with the way they finished," Krauskopf concluded, per the Indiana Fever press conference.
If you thought sides was getting fired you’re wrong! To do what she did you don’t get fired. 🤷🏿♂️ pic.twitter.com/mkgxQxSdLf
— Martell C Parks (@MrMonies28) October 8, 2024
Krauskopf was the member of Indiana's front office who issued a statement on Sides' firing on Sunday.
It's unknown how long this decision had been in the works. Regardless, Sides took to X to send a clear message about losing her job soon after it was announced.
"Leave it better than you found it. ✌🏼," Sides wrote.
Leave it better than you found it.✌🏼
— Christie Sides (@ChristieSides) October 27, 2024
The general belief is that the Fever must be close to bringing current Connecticut Sun head coach Stephanie White in to replace Sides, which would turn the Fever into immediate contenders for the 2025 WNBA championship.
Given Sides' success in Indiana, it's likely she'll soon land another coaching job either in college or the WNBA.
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.