Indiana Fever facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Indiana Fever
Conference	Eastern
Leagues	WNBA
Founded	June 7, 1999; 26 years ago (1999-06-07)
History	Indiana Fever 2000–present
Arena	Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Location	Indianapolis, Indiana
Team colors	Navy blue, red, gold
Main sponsor	Salesforce
President	Kelly Krauskopf
General manager	Amber Cox
Head coach	Stephanie White
Assistant(s)	Tully Bevilaqua Karima Christmas-Kelly Jessie Miller Paul Miller
Ownership	Herb Simon
Championships	1 (2012)
Conference titles	3 (2009, 2012, 2015)
Retired numbers	1 (24)
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The Indiana Fever is a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They play in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). This league is part of the Eastern Conference. The team started playing in the year 2000. Herb Simon, who also owns the Indiana Pacers NBA team, owns the Fever.

The Fever has made it to the WNBA Playoffs in 13 of their 24 seasons. In 2009, they reached the WNBA Finals but lost to the Phoenix Mercury. Then, in 2012, the Fever won their first WNBA championship! They beat the Minnesota Lynx 3-1. Tamika Catchings was named the Finals MVP that year. In 2015, they made it to the Finals again but lost to Minnesota in a close game.

Many great players have been part of the Fever's history. Some famous names include Tamika Catchings, Katie Douglas, Briann January, Natalie Williams, Aliyah Boston, and Caitlin Clark.

Team History

Early Years: 2000–2004

The lobby of Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the Fever's home arena.

The Indiana Fever team began in 2000. This happened when the state got a new team to go with the opening of Gainbridge Fieldhouse. It was called Conseco Fieldhouse back then. In their first two years, famous women's basketball coaches Anne Donovan and Nell Fortner led the team. In their first season, the team won 9 games and lost 23.

The Fever picked University of Tennessee star Tamika Catchings in the 2001 WNBA Draft. Everyone hoped for a great season. But Catchings got a serious knee injury (an ACL tear) in a college game. She missed her whole first WNBA season. The Fever finished with a 10–22 record in 2001.

After missing 2001, Tamika Catchings had an amazing 2002 season. She became one of the best players in the WNBA. She easily won WNBA Rookie of the Year and made the WNBA All-Star Game. The team played well, finishing 16–16. They tied for the last playoff spot and made their first ever playoff appearance. They lost to the New York Liberty in the first round.

The team changed a lot before the 2003 season. They added Olympian Natalie Williams and Charlotte Sting star Kelly Miller. Coach Nell Fortner left, and Kelly Krauskopf became the new General Manager. She hired Brian Winters as the new head coach. On May 29, 2003, the Fever had their first sold-out game. They beat the Washington Mystics on TV. The team played better but missed the playoffs with a 16–18 record.

The 2004 season was similar to 2003. The Fever ended with a 15–19 record. They missed the playoffs by just one game.

Building Success: 2005–2007

In 2005, the Fever had their best season yet, winning 21 games and losing 13. They made the playoffs for only the second time. In the first round, the Fever easily beat the New York Liberty. This was their first playoff series win ever. In the Eastern Conference Finals, they played the strong Connecticut Sun. The Sun won both games in close matches, ending the Fever's playoff run.

Before the 2006 season, the Fever got All-Star Anna DeForge from the Phoenix Mercury. They also signed free agent Tamika Whitmore from the Los Angeles Sparks. In the 2006 WNBA draft, they picked La'Tangela Atkinson and Kasha Terry.

Outside Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the home of the Fever.

The Fever started the 2006 season with a great 4–0 record. They led the Eastern Conference early on. Tamika Catchings and Tully Bevilaqua were first and second in the league for steals. The Fever finished 21–13 and made the playoffs again. They faced their rival, Detroit. Detroit won both games, ending the Fever's season.

To improve their team for 2007, the Fever added veteran player Sheri Sam. They also signed key player Tammy Sutton-Brown and drafted Alison Bales.

The Fever aimed for the WNBA Finals in 2007. They started strong, winning 16 of their first 20 games. This was the best start for an Eastern Conference team ever. But on July 20, Tamika Catchings hurt her foot and missed the rest of the season. The Fever finished 5–9 without her. They still got the second seed in the playoffs. They played the Connecticut Sun in the first round. Game 1 was a long battle, going into three overtimes, with the Sun winning. The Fever won Game 2 at home. In Game 3, the Fever came back from being down by 22 points to win in overtime! This was the biggest comeback in WNBA Playoff history.

In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Fever played the Detroit Shock. The Fever won Game 1 at home. They were just one win away from the WNBA Finals. But in Game 2, Detroit won easily. In Game 3, Catchings got another serious injury (a torn Achilles tendon). The Shock won Game 3 and went to the Finals.

New Coach and First Championship: 2008–2012

After the 2007 season, the Fever changed coaches. Brian Winters left, and assistant coach Lin Dunn became the new head coach in December 2007.

In a big trade, the Fever got Indianapolis native Katie Douglas in February 2008. They traded Tamika Whitmore and a draft pick for her.

The Fever played in the first outdoor regular-season professional basketball game. It was against the New York Liberty at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York on July 19, 2008. The Fever won the game.

In 2008, the Fever had a tougher season, finishing 17–17. They made the playoffs but lost to the Detroit Shock in the first round.

The Indiana Fever visiting the White House in 2013 after winning their first WNBA championship.

After a tough 2008, the Fever wanted to do better in 2009. The team owners said the Fever needed to win to stay in Indianapolis. The team took this seriously. They had their best record ever, 22–12, and were the top seed in the Eastern Conference. In the first round, they swept the Washington Mystics. They then beat the Detroit Shock to reach their first ever WNBA Finals. They lost a close series to the Phoenix Mercury in 5 games.

Because of their success in 2009, the Fever announced they would stay in Indianapolis for 2010 and 2011.

In 2012, the Fever made it to the WNBA Finals again. This time, they beat the Minnesota Lynx 3 games to 1. It was the Fever's first WNBA championship!

Continued Playoff Runs: 2012–2016

After winning the 2012 championship, the team promoted General Manager Kelly Krauskopf to President. She got more duties and a pay raise. The Fever tried for another title in 2015. They reached the Finals for the third time but lost to the Minnesota Lynx in five games. In 2016, the Fever made the playoffs for the 12th year in a row. This is a WNBA record! However, they lost in the first round to the Phoenix Mercury. This game was also the last game for Tamika Catchings, who had been the team's most important player since 2002.

Rebuilding Years: 2016–2023

Aliyah Boston of the Indiana Fever blocking Tiffany Mitchell of the Minnesota Lynx in 2023.

On November 18, 2016, the Fever hired Pokey Chatman as their new head coach. In 2017, they traded for five-time All-Star Candice Dupree. Even with new players and a new coach, the Fever had a very tough season. On August 12, 2017, they lost to the Minnesota Lynx by a huge score of 111–52. This was the biggest loss in WNBA history. The Fever finished with a 9–25 record, ending their 12-year playoff streak.

In 2018, the Fever continued to rebuild and struggled again. They finished in last place with a 6–28 record. In March 2019, Allison Barber became the new president of the Fever. Tamika Catchings became the vice president of basketball operations. The Fever picked Teaira McCowan in the 2019 WNBA draft. The 2019 season showed some improvement, but the team still missed the playoffs. After the season, coach Pokey Chatman was fired.

On November 27, 2019, Marianne Stanley became the new head coach. Tamika Catchings was also promoted to general manager.

Near the end of the 2019 season, the Fever announced they would play their home games at Butler University's Hinkle Fieldhouse for a few years. This was because their main arena, Bankers Life Fieldhouse, was being renovated. However, the 2020 WNBA season was played in Florida due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, the Fever played some games at Bankers Life Fieldhouse (now Gainbridge Fieldhouse) and some at Indiana Farmers Coliseum.

On February 14, 2022, Tamika Catchings left her role as general manager. On February 24, 2022, former Fever coach Lin Dunn became the team's interim general manager.

The team continued to struggle in 2022 and 2023. They earned the top pick in the WNBA draft for the next two seasons. In 2023, the Fever chose South Carolina's Aliyah Boston. The next year, with women's college basketball becoming very popular, the Fever chose Iowa's Caitlin Clark as the first pick. Drafting Clark made many more people interested in the team and the WNBA. The TV ratings for the 2024 WNBA draft were higher than many actual games from the past 25 years!

The Caitlin Clark Era: 2024–Present

In their first season with Caitlin Clark on the team, the Fever had a big change. They finished the 2024 regular season with a 20–20 record. This meant they made the playoffs for the first time since 2016! Clark averaged 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, and a league-leading 8.4 assists per game. She was the first rookie to lead the league in assists. Teammates Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston also played very well.

Thanks to Clark, the Fever had over 17,000 fans at home games in 2024. This was even more than their male counterpart, the Pacers, on average. They also drew huge crowds when playing away games. The "Clark effect" helped the Fever set many new WNBA television records. These numbers had not been seen since the league started in the late 1990s. The Fever, as the sixth seed, lost to the Connecticut Sun in two playoff games.

On October 27, 2024, the Fever announced they had parted ways with head coach Christie Sides. The team's record under Sides was 33-47. On November 1, 2024, the team announced that Stephanie White would return as head coach.

Team Uniforms

The Indiana Fever's uniforms have changed over the years:

• 2000–2006: Home jerseys were white with red, dark blue, and yellow on the sides. "Fever" was written across the front. Road jerseys were dark blue with red and yellow.
• 2007–2010: Home jerseys were white with blue and yellow stripes. "Fever" was in red. Road jerseys were dark blue with yellow and white trim. "Indiana" was in red.
• 2011–2012: The team made small changes as part of a new uniform technology. "Fever" on home jerseys became navy with red and yellow trim. Numbers were rounded.
• 2013–2015: Finish Line became the uniform sponsor. The uniforms stayed mostly the same, but with a new number style and the sponsor's logo.
• 2016: For the league's 20th season, all teams wore colored uniforms. The Fever added a yellow jersey to go with their navy one.
• 2019: Salesforce became the new uniform sponsor, replacing Finish Line. The front of the jersey now showed both Salesforce and AT&T logos. Player numbers were only on the back.

Famous Players and Coaches

Former Players

Retired Numbers

The Indiana Fever has honored one player by retiring their jersey number:

Basketball Hall of Fame Members

Several players and coaches connected to the Indiana Fever are in the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame:

Coaches and Staff

Team Owners

• Herb Simon (2000–present), also owns the Indiana Pacers
• Melvin Simon (2000–2009), former co-owner

Head Coaches

Here are the head coaches who have led the Indiana Fever:

General Managers

• Nell Fortner (2000–2003)
• Kelly Krauskopf (2004–2017)
• Pokey Chatman (2018–2019)
• Tamika Catchings (2020–2022)
• Lin Dunn (2022–2024)
• Amber Cox (2024-present)

Assistant Coaches

• Shelley Patterson (2000–2003)
• Julie Plank (2000–2007)
• Lin Dunn (2004–2007)
• Jim Lewis (2008–2010)
• Gary Kloppenburg (2008–2011, 2015–2016, 2022)
• Stephanie White (2011–2014)
• Mickie DeMoss (2012–2013)
• Sylvia Crawley (2014)
• Gail Goestenkors (2015)
• Steven Key (2016–2017)
• Jessica Miller (2017–2019)
• Christie Sides (2018–2019)
• Steve Smith (2020–2021)
• April (McDivitt) Schilling (2020)
• Le'Coe Willingham (2020)
• Jhared Simpson (2021–2022)
• Vicki Hall (2021–2022)
• Carlos Knox (2022)
• Karima Christmas-Kelly (2023–present)
• Jessie Miller (2023–present)
• Paul Miller (2023–present)

Media Coverage

Tegna Inc. holds the TV rights for the Fever games. You can watch games on channels like WTHR in Indianapolis. Other channels in different cities also show the games. The main broadcasters for Fever games are Pat Boylan, Debbie Antonelli, and Tully Bevilaqua. Some games are also shown on national TV channels like ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, Ion Television, NBA TV, CBS, and CBS Sports Network.

Chris Denari was the team's Play-by-Play Announcer from 2000 to 2017.

See also

In Spanish: Indiana Fever para niños