The Indiana Fever announced on Sunday that coach Christie Sides has been fired.
Sides had a record of 33-47 in her two seasons with the team, with a 20-20 record this season. The Fever made it to the playoffs as the sixth seed but were swept in the first round by the Connecticut Sun.
Indiana is the sixth team to change coaches this offseason, joining Dallas, Atlanta, Chicago, Washington, and Los Angeles. All the dismissed coaches had three years of experience or less.
The new coach of the Fever will inherit a strong young core, led by Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston, who have both won the last two WNBA Rookie of the Year awards.
“We are grateful to Coach Sides for leading us through a crucial transition period in the last two seasons and setting us up for future growth,” said Fever president of basketball operations Kelly Krauskopf. “While these decisions are tough, we must be bold in pursuit of our goals, which includes winning another WNBA championship. Coach Sides represented the Fever and our community well, and we wish her success in the future.”
Krauskopf returned to the Fever earlier this month after working with the Indiana Pacers.
Sides was an assistant with Chicago (2011-16), the Fever (2017-19), and Atlanta (2022) before becoming head coach. She took over from Marianne Stanley and interim coach Carlos Knox, who led the team in the 2022 season.
Sides had two years remaining on her contract.
Since Lin Dunn’s tenure from 2008-14, the Fever have not had a head coach last more than three years. Stephanie White (2015-16), Pokey Chatman (2017-19), and Stanley (2020-22) followed Dunn.
Indiana struggled at the start of the season, losing eight of their first nine games. However, they rebounded after the Olympic break, winning seven of eight to make a push for the playoffs.