The Indiana Fever are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Fever compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded for the 2000 WNBA season. The team is owned by Herb Simon, the founder of Simon Property Group.
The Fever have qualified for the WNBA playoffs in 14 of its 25 seasons in Indiana. In 2009, the Fever reached the WNBA Finals but fell short to the Phoenix Mercury in game 5. In 2012, the Fever won the WNBA Finals with a 3–1 series victory over the Minnesota Lynx. Tamika Catchings was named the 2012 Finals MVP. In 2015, the Fever again reached the WNBA Finals but fell short to Minnesota in game 5.
Some of the players who have helped define the history of the Fever include Tamika Catchings, Katie Douglas, Briann January, Natalie Williams, Yolanda Griffith, Shavonte Zellous, Tully Bevilaqua, Tammy Sutton-Brown, Natasha Howard, Candice Dupree, Cappie Pondexter, Erica Wheeler, Kelsey Mitchell, Lexie Hull, Aliyah Boston, and Caitlin Clark.
Contents
History
2000: Early beginnings
The Indiana Fever team was founded in 2000 following the WNBA's announcement on June 7, 1999, of four locations, including Indiana, having been granted an expansion franchise to coincide with the opening of Gainbridge Fieldhouse (then Conseco Fieldhouse). Notably, the Fever's launch campaign was accompanied with the slogan "In 49 states it's just basketball, but this is Indiana," which has become a popular catchphrase regarding the sport's popularity in the state. The league held an expansion draft for the Fever, Miami Sol, Portland Fire, and Seattle Storm on December 15, 1999.
In their first two seasons, they were coached by women's basketball legends Anne Donovan and Nell Fortner. Led by center Kara Wolters, the team posted a 9–23 record in their inaugural campaign.
2001–2016: Tamika Catchings era
The Fever drafted University of Tennessee star Tamika Catchings in the 2001 WNBA Draft. The Fever went into the year with high expectations of a playoff berth, but Catchings tore her ACL during a college game and missed the entire WNBA season. The Fever posted a 10–22 record in 2001.
After missing the entire 2001 season, the 2002 season proved to be the breakout season for Tamika Catchings and the Fever. Catchings came out strong and became one of the most versatile players in the WNBA, easily winning Rookie of the Year honors as well as making the WNBA All-Star team. Her team competed well all year and posted a respectable 16–16 record, tying for the final playoff spot with the Orlando Miracle. Indiana won the tiebreaker and earned their first playoff appearance in franchise history. They drew the #1 seed in the playoffs, the Liberty; with the Fever losing two games to one.
The 2002–2003 offseason brought a lot of change for the Fever. The team added Olympian Natalie Williams and Charlotte Sting star Kelly Miller before the 2003 season. During the offseason, the original coach and GM, Nell Fortner, resigned. Kelly Krauskopf replaced Fortner as GM and immediately hired Brian Winters to be the head coach. On May 29, 2003, the Fever registered their first sellout of 18,345 and defeated the Washington Mystics on national television. The team did better under the new coaching, but missed the playoffs, posting a 16–18 record.
The 2004 campaign was very similar to 2003's. The Fever finished with a 15–19 record. They missed the playoffs by one game in the Eastern Conference.
In 2005, the Fever had their best season since joining the league, posting a 21–13 record and making the playoffs for just the second time. In the first round, the Fever swept the New York Liberty two games to none, earning their first playoff series victory in franchise history. In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Fever faced the heavily favored Connecticut Sun. Game 1 came down to the final seconds when Katie Douglas hit a crucial three to win the game for the Sun. Game 2 went into overtime, with the Sun winning, thus sweeping the Fever two games to none.
In the 2005–2006 offseason, the Fever acquired All-Star Anna DeForge from the Phoenix Mercury in exchange for Kelly Miller. Later that offseason, the Fever made another All-Star addition by signing free agent Tamika Whitmore from the Los Angeles Sparks. In the 2006 WNBA draft they selected athletic swing-forward La'Tangela Atkinson from the North Carolina Tar Heels along with Kasha Terry from the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
2016–2023: Rebuilding
On November 18, 2016, the Fever announced Pokey Chatman as their new head coach. In February 2017, they traded for five-time all-star Candice Dupree along with the Mercury's 2017 first-round pick in a three-team deal that sent Camille Little and Jillian Alleyne to the Mercury and the Connecticut Sun receiving the 8th overall pick in the 2017 WNBA draft along with Lynetta Kizer from the Fever. Despite acquiring a veteran all-star forward and a new head coach, the Fever would have one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history. On August 12, 2017, the Fever were defeated 111–52 by the Minnesota Lynx, the largest margin of defeat in WNBA history, and allowed a league record 37–0 scoring run. The Fever finished with the second-worst record in the league of 9–25 in their first season after Catchings's retirement, ending a streak of 12 consecutive playoff seasons.
Disappointment continued for the rebuilding Fever in 2018, as they finished in last place with a 6–28 record. On March 4, 2019, Pacers Sports & Entertainment announced Allison Barber, as the new president and chief operating officer of the Fever, while Catchings was named vice president of Fever Basketball Operations. They wound up with the third selection in the 2019 WNBA draft, selecting Teaira McCowan from Mississippi State. The 2019 season saw some improvement, and the team finished 13–21, two games out of the playoffs. After the season, coach and general manager Pokey Chatman was fired.
On November 27, 2019, Marianne Stanley was introduced as the head coach of the Indiana Fever, making her the seventh coach in the franchise's 20-year WNBA history. In addition, it was also announced that Catchings would be promoted to general manager.
Near the end of the 2019 season, the Fever announced that they would move their home games to Butler University's Hinkle Fieldhouse for the 2020 and 2021 seasons, plus at least part of the 2022 season, to accommodate renovations of Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The team planned to return to the renamed Gainbridge Fieldhouse upon project completion. However, the 2020 WNBA season was played in IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For the 2021 season, the Fever played their first four home games at Bankers Life Fieldhouse before playing the remaining home games at Indiana Farmers Coliseum.
On February 14, 2022, Tamika Catchings stepped down as the vice president of basketball operations and general manager of the Indiana Fever.
2024–present: The Caitlin Clark era
The Fever had a dramatic turnaround in the first season with Clark, going an even 20–20 during the 2024 regular season and making the playoffs for the first time since 2016. Clark averaged 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 8.4 assists per game, becoming the first-ever true rookie to lead the WNBA in assists. Teammates Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston also displayed strong statistics. In large part due to Clark, Fever home games drew an average of over 17,000 fans in 2024, actually beating their men's counterpart, the Pacers, on a per-game basis (though the Pacers play 20 more home games). The Fever also drew strongly on the road and set virtually all of the WNBA television records, recording figures oftentimes not seen since the early days of the league in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The sixth-seeded Fever ended up falling to the Connecticut Sun in a two-game first-round sweep.
In August 2024, the WNBA announced that the Fever would host 2025 WNBA All-Star Game and related events in July 2025 for the first time in franchise history. Tickets for All-Star weekend events went on sale on April 29, 2025, and sold out within seven hours.
The Fever announced on October 27, 2024, that they had parted ways with head coach Christie Sides, after Sides' tenure went 33–47. On November 1, 2024, the team announced that Stephanie White would return to the organization as head coach.
Before the 2025 season, the Fever announced on February 1, 2025, that they had acquired Sophie Cunningham from the Phoenix Mercury. In the season, the team finished 24–20. Along the way they won the WNBA Commissioner's Cup with a record of 4–1 and they made the playoffs as No. 6 seed. They upset the No. 3 seed Atlanta Dream in three games in the quarterfinals and they took the No. 2 seed and eventual champion Las Vegas Aces to five games in the semifinals, falling only in overtime of the last game. They accomplished this despite a rash of player injuries. Star Caitlin Clark played only 13 games and missed the last half of the season. Regulars Sophie Cunningham and Sydney Colson suffered season-ending injuries, as did hardship replacements Aari McDonald and Chloe Bibby.
The Fever acquired the tenth pick in the 2026 WNBA draft and, with only one lottery pick, selected Raven Johnson from South Carolina.
Logo and uniforms
Logo
The logo was created in 1999 by designer Todd Radom.
Todd Radom has posted some sketches of the logo. He has said the logo was inspired by a "decidedly retro vibe that references back to something like the 'Hoosiers' era in terms of basketball in Indiana".
Uniforms
2000–2006: The home jerseys were white with red, dark blue and yellow on the sides. On the front, Fever was written across. The road jersey were dark blue with red and yellow on the sides. Indiana in red letters trimmed with white on the chest.
2007–2010: Home jerseys are white with blue and yellow strips/trim from the neck down the side. Fever is written in red across the front and on the back the player name is written in all dark blue under the number also in red trimmed in dark blue. The new road jerseys are dark blue with yellow and white trim/strips. Indiana is written on the front in red with white trim and on the back the number is in red with white trim with the player's name underneath in all white. Each jersey has the Fever's alternate logo at the top on the back.
2011–2012: As part of the move to Adidas's Revolution 30 technology, the Fever made subtle changes to the uniforms. Home uniforms remain white, but the 'Fever' wordmark is now written in navy with red and yellow trim. Numbers are now rounded and in red. Away uniforms remain unchanged save for the striping patterns and rounded numbers.
2013–2015: On October 19, 2012, the Fever announced that Finish Line will be their uniform sponsor, beginning with the 2013 season. The uniform stayed the same aside from a new number scheme and the addition of the uniform sponsor.
2016: As part of a league-wide initiative for its 20th season, all games featured all-color uniform matchups. Therefore, the Fever unveiled a yellow jersey as a light-colored uniform to complement its standard navy uniform.
2019: The Fever announced Salesforce as their uniform sponsor, replacing Finish Line. Along with all other WNBA team uniforms, the front of the jersey prominently features both Salesforce and AT&T, a new partner for the WNBA. The number of the player is now just on the back of the jersey.
Facilities
The Indiana Fever announced in 2026 that they were acquiring a new practice facility in Downtown Indianapolis. The Fever have stated this facility will cost $78 million. The land was acquired via a no-bid process. Some have criticized the project, arguing that affordable housing should have been built on the site. However, Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett argued that the project represents a “commitment to equitable investment in women’s sports.”
Players
Coaches and staff
Owners
Herb Simon (2000–present), owner of the Indiana Pacers
Melvin Simon (2000–2009), former co-owner of the Indiana Pacers
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, 2023–2024)
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)
Paul Miller (2023–2024)
Austin Kelly (2024–present)
Briann January (2025–present)
Media coverage
Tegna Inc. holds the television rights to the Fever. Games air on WTHR, WTHR-DT3 or WALV-CD in Indianapolis, WCIX or WCIA in Champaign-Springfield, WXIX-DT3 in Cincinnati, WQAD-TV or WQAD-DT3 in Davenport, WKEF-DT3 in Dayton, WOI-TV or KCWI-TV in Des Moines, WFIE-DT2 in Evansville, WPTA-DT3 in Fort Wayne, WPBY-LD or WPBY-DT2 in Lafayette, WKYT-DT2 in Lexington, WHAS-TV or WHAS-DT2 in Louisville, and WCWW-LD, WMYS-LD or WNDU-DT2 in South Bend. Broadcasters for the Fever games are Pat Boylan, Debbie Antonelli, and Tully Bevilaqua. Select games air nationally on ABC (WRTV), ESPN, ESPN2, Ion Television (WIPX-TV), NBA TV, CBS (WTTV), NBC (WTHR), Amazon Prime Video, USA, or NBCSN.
Chris Denari served as the team's Play-by-Play Announcer from 2000 to 2017 before stepping down.
All-time notes
Regular season attendance
A sellout for a basketball game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse is:
18,345 from 2000 to 2006.
18,165 from 2007 to 2016.
17,923 from 2017 to 2021.
A sellout at Indiana Farmers Coliseum, the team's home during part of the 2021 and 2022 seasons, is 6,800.
A sellout at Hinkle Fieldhouse, the team's home for the end of the 2022 season, is 9,100.
Draft picks
2000 Expansion Draft: Gordana Grubin (1), Sandy Brondello (8), Nyree Roberts (9), Rita Williams (16), Kara Wolters (17), Chantel Tremitiere (24)
2000: Jurgita Streimikyte (26), Usha Gilmore (42), Latina Davis (50), Renee Robinson (58)
2001: Tamika Catchings (3), Kelly Schumacher (14), Niele Ivey (19), Marlene Williams (35), April Brown (51)
2002: Tawana McDonald (13), Zuzi Klimesova (17), Kelly Komara (34), LaKeisha Taylor (49), Jillian Danker (52)
2003 Miami/Portland Dispersal Draft: Sylvia Crawley (7)
2003: Gwen Jackson (6), DeTrina White (20), Ashley McElhiney (35)
2004 Cleveland Dispersal Draft: Deanna Jackson (5)
2004: Ebony Hoffman (9), Ieva Kublina (31)
2005: Tan White (2), Yolanda Paige (16), Ashley Earley (29)
2006: La'Tangela Atkinson (9), Kasha Terry (26), Jessica Foley (38), Marina Kuzina (40)
2007 Charlotte Dispersal Draft: selection waived
2007: Alison Bales (9), Lyndsey Medders (22), Ashley Key (35)
2008: Khadijah Whittington (26)
2009 Houston Dispersal Draft: selection waived
2009: Briann January (6), Christina Wirth (19), Danielle Campbell (32)
Trades
December 15, 1999: The Fever acquired Monica Maxwell from the Washington Mystics in exchange for agreeing to select Nyree Roberts in the expansion draft.
December 15, 1999: The Fever traded Sandy Brondello and a first-round pick in the 2000 Draft to the Miami Sol in exchange for Stephanie White.
April 25, 2000: The Fever traded Latina Davis and Renee Robinson to the Houston Comets in exchange for Latavia Coleman.
April 11, 2001: The Fever traded Kara Wolters to the Sacramento Monarchs in exchange for a first-round pick in the 2001 Draft.
May 27, 2001: The Fever traded a second-round pick in the 2002 Draft to the Detroit Shock in exchange for Olympia Scott and a third-round pick in the 2002 Draft.
December 5, 2001: The Fever traded Angie Braziel to the Washington Mystics in exchange for Nikki McCray and the right to swap second- and fourth-round picks in the 2002 Draft.
March 4, 2002: The Fever traded Gordana Grubin to the Phoenix Mercury in exchange for Bridget Pettis and a first-round pick in the 2002 Draft.
July 20, 2002: The Fever traded Rita Williams to the Houston Comets in exchange for Coquese Washington.
May 1, 2003: The Fever traded Sylvia Crawley and Gwen Jackson to the San Antonio Silver Stars in exchange for Coretta Brown and Natalie Williams.
February 5, 2004: The Fever traded the 3rd overall and the 18th overall picks in the 2004 Draft to the Charlotte Sting in exchange for Kelly Miller and the 9th overall pick in the 2004 Draft.
February 3, 2006: The Fever traded Kelly Miller to the Phoenix Mercury in exchange for Anna DeForge.
Olympians
2000: Kara Wolters
2004: Tamika Catchings
2008: Tamika Catchings, Tully Bevilaqua (AUS)
2012: Tamika Catchings
2016: Tamika Catchings, Natalie Achonwa (CAN)
2020: Julie Allemand (BEL)
2024: Kristy Wallace (AUS)