The Unthinkable: Firing a Coach for Winning

It’s the golden rule in professional sports: coaches get fired for losing, not winning. But in an unbelievable twist of fate, Christy Sides, the coach who led the Indiana Fever out of a seven-year playoff drought, found herself unexpectedly dismissed in October 2024. The reasoning behind this shocking decision has left fans and analysts questioning everything they thought they knew about success in the WNBA.

In just two seasons, Sides transformed the Fever from a team with a franchise-worst 5-31 record to a legitimate playoff contender. Under her leadership, the Fever’s win total quadrupled, and for the first time in years, the team finally returned to the postseason. She had done what many thought was impossible—so why would the franchise fire the very person responsible for their revival?

The Rebuilding Process: Christy Sides’ Success

When Christy Sides took over as head coach in November 2022, the Indiana Fever were in turmoil. Having cycled through multiple coaches and failed to make the playoffs since 2016, the team had hit rock bottom. They had endured a 5-31 season in 2022, with no signs of improvement on the horizon.

However, Sides was determined to change the culture. She inherited a team with major talent but little direction. A year later, the Fever’s win total jumped to 13, a clear sign that Sides was making a difference. But it was in her second season, when Caitlyn Clark joined the team in 2024, that the real transformation began. Despite facing enormous media attention and expectations surrounding Clark’s arrival, Sides led the Fever to a 20-20 record and secured a playoff berth.

For her efforts, Sides was even named WNBA Coach of the Month for August 2024. She had successfully navigated the pressures of rebuilding a franchise and guiding it back to relevance. By every objective measure, Christy Sides had done exactly what she was hired to do. Yet, in the face of this success, the Fever’s front office made a bold move. They let her go.

The Official Reason: A Strategic Shift or a Convenient Excuse?

The official statement issued by the Fever’s new president of basketball operations, Kelly Krauss Cop, said that the team needed to remain bold and assertive in their pursuit of a WNBA championship. While acknowledging Sides’ leadership during a critical time, the statement made it clear that the goal had shifted. The Fever were no longer just looking for improvement; they were looking to win it all now, and Sides, they claimed, wasn’t the right coach to lead them there.

On the surface, this might sound like a logical move for any organization aiming to contend for a championship. But the timing raised eyebrows. This wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision. Just weeks before the firing, the Fever had announced a major front-office restructuring, bringing in new executives to guide the organization. And within five days of Sides’ firing, they had already named her replacement, Stephanie White.

It’s hard to believe that such a significant decision was made so quickly. The speed with which the replacement was found points to one thing: Sides’ firing was not about one bad season or tactical missteps—it was about a new front office wanting to install its own leadership, and that leadership didn’t include Sides.

The Fans Speak Out: A Divided Base

As news of the firing spread, the Fever’s fanbase became deeply divided. On one side, there were fans who felt that Sides was unfairly let go. They argued that she had achieved remarkable success by turning around a broken franchise. After all, she had been the one to break the seven-year playoff drought and had guided the team to a .500 record in just her second season. These fans saw her as a coach still learning and growing, who deserved another year to build on her success.

On the other hand, there were those who supported the firing. They criticized Sides for her perceived in-game flaws, including poor rotations and adjustments during key moments. They felt the team’s playoff berth was more a result of individual talent, like Caitlyn Clark and Aaliyah Boston, rather than Sides’ coaching. They argued that the Fever needed someone with more experience to take them to the next level.

The Caitlyn Clark Effect: A Star’s Growing Influence

While the debate raged on, another factor loomed large—the influence of Caitlyn Clark. The star rookie had become the face of the franchise, generating massive attention, merchandise sales, and TV ratings. Many fans speculated that Clark’s value to the team had reached a point where she held more power than the coach. Was the firing a result of a strained relationship between Clark and Sides? Could Clark have played a role in pushing for this coaching change?

There were whispers of tensions between the two, with some fans pointing to moments on the sidelines when Clark appeared disengaged or frustrated with Sides. While Clark publicly denied any involvement in the firing, the growing belief was that the Fever’s front office made the decision based on the idea that they couldn’t afford to lose their superstar talent. The Kingmaker theory suggested that Sides was removed not because of her coaching ability, but because she wasn’t the perfect fit for Clark, who was seen as the team’s future.

Christy Sides’ Final Message: A Quiet Defiance

After the firing, Sides made one final public statement, not through a tell-all interview or fiery press conference, but through seven simple words on social media: “Leave it better than you found it.”

To some, this was a classy and graceful exit, a reflection of her professionalism and pride in what she accomplished. But to others, these words were a subtle yet powerful defense of her work, a reminder of the five-win team she inherited and the playoff contender she left behind. It was a quiet but defiant way of saying, “I did my job, and you still let me go.”

A New Beginning: Christy Sides’ Next Chapter

Though her time with the Fever ended in a way that many felt was unjust, Sides’ career didn’t end there. In June 2025, she was hired as an assistant coach for the Canadian senior women’s national team, a prestigious position in international basketball. This move proved that despite her turbulent exit from Indiana, Sides’ reputation as a capable coach remained intact, and she was ready to take on a new challenge away from the media circus that had surrounded her time with the Fever.

Christy Sides’ firing wasn’t just about one coach’s downfall—it was a reflection of the intense pressure and shifting expectations in the modern sports landscape. Her story is a cautionary tale about what happens when success isn’t enough, and when the future of a franchise is shaped not just by its past, but by the ever-growing influence of its stars.