On Sunday morning, the Indiana Fever announced the dismissal of Christie Sides as head coach. Following this decision, the longtime coach let out a subtle message to the WNBA world.

The decision to move on from Sides comes just two years into her tenure with the Fever. She was able to garner positive results, vastly improving in her second season on the job. Despite this, the Fever organization still thought it was time to bring in somebody new.

A few hours after the reports surfaced, Christie Sides took to X (formerly Twitter) to make a remark. Her message was short and concise, talking about leaving things better than you found them.

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“Leave it better than you found it,” she tweeted.

After being an assistant coach in the league for nearly a decade, Sides got her first chance to be a head coach in the WNBA in 2023. In her first season as head coach, the Fever had one of the worst records in the league at 13-27.

With the addition of Caitlin Clark, among other factors, Indiana was able to quickly rise up the standings. The Fever posted a .500 record in the regular season and ended the franchise’s eight-year playoff drought. Indiana’s postseason run would be short, getting eliminated by the Connecticut Sun in the first round.

Indiana Fever president makes statement following Christie Sides firing
In their press release about the firing, Fever President of Basketball Operations Kelly Krauskopf made a statement about Christie Sides. While she was dismissed as head coach, she was praised for her impact on the franchise during her brief tenure.

“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.”

Armed with a promising group of young talent led by Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell, the Fever are looking to continuing growing into a contender. Based on the removal of Christie Sides, the organization must feel bringing in a new coach is a step in the right direction.

As of now, there hasn’t been much reporting on who could replace Sides as head coach of the Fever. One name that has been tossed out in the early stages is Connecticut Sun coach Stephanie White, in the event she becomes available.

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