SI

Christie Sides Sends Candid Parting Message After Being Fired by Indiana Fever

Kristen Wong

David Butler II-Imagn Images
In this story:

The Indiana Fever announced they were parting ways with Christie Sides in a surprising move on Sunday, with the Fever becoming the sixth WNBA franchise to make a head coaching change this offseason.

After the news broke Sunday afternoon, Sides appeared to make a candid comment on the franchise’s decision. She took to social media to send one last parting message to Fever fans. 

“Leave it better than you found it,” Sides wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter). 

Sides, 47, had two seasons remaining on a four-year contract. She went 33-47 after being hired in November 2022, compiling a 13-27 record in 2023 and a 20-20 record this past season, which saw rookie Caitlin Clark and the Fever earn their first playoff berth since 2016. The Fever were bounced out of the first round of the WNBA postseason by the Connecticut Sun.

No Fever head coach has stayed longer than three seasons since Lin Dunn, who coached Indiana from 2008 to ‘14. 

Sides’s recent firing marks what seems to be a full-house renovation for the burgeoning WNBA franchise. Heading into the 2025 season, Indiana will have a new head coach to pair with recently hired general manager Amber Cox and president Kelly Krauskopf.

Stephanie White, who is under contract with the Sun through 2025, is reportedly among the rumored candidates for the Fever’s head coaching vacancy.

More of the Latest Around WNBA

feed

Published
Kristen Wong
KRISTEN WONG

Kristen Wong is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. She has been a sports journalist since 2020. Before joining SI in November 2023, Wong covered four NFL teams as an associate editor with the FanSided NFL Network and worked as a staff writer for the brand’s flagship site. Outside of work, she has dreams of running her own sporty dive bar.

Home/WNBA