Caitlin Clark's Coach Fired In Shocking Move As Indiana Fever 'Part Ways' With Christie Sides

The Indiana Fever need a new head coach.

The team stunned fans Sunday morning when the franchise announced that head coach Christie Sides had been removed from her role and let go.

The Fever finished the season 20-20 with rookie sensation Caitlin Clark leading the way, and made its first postseason appearance since 2016.

Indiana Fever fire Christie Sides. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Indiana Fever fire Christie Sides after one season with Caitlin Clark

Despite a rough 1-8 start, the team rallied around Clark to finish 19-12 down the stretch. That's what makes the move so unbelievably surprising.

Fever president of basketball operations Kelly Krauskopf announced the following in a Sunday statement:

"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."

There was a lot of speculation during the team's poor start that Sides might be shown the exit. It looked like Clark was being wasted and the team was awful.

However, Clark was able to eventually put the pieces together and have a very improved season for the Fever compared to 2023. The team won just 13 games last season. A seven game improvement is huge.

Yet, there clearly wasn't a lot of confidence in Sides behind closed doors because despite making the postseason and Clark dominating the league, she's gone.

Indiana Fever fire Christie Sides. (Photo by Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Who will replace her? I don't know but get ready to hear a lot of speculation about her now-retired Iowa coach Lisa Bluder. Clark and her old coach were incredible together with the Iowa Hawkeyes. Even though Bluder has retired, I can guarantee there's at least going to be a phone call that gets made. It's a truly wild development for WNBA fans. Let me know what you think of Sides being fired at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.