Indiana Fever 2025

[sgt.null]

Fever bring in trio of veterans

Dates: Jan. 31: Fever reach agreement with Natasha Howard, to trade for Sophie Cunningham

Feb. 2: Fever reach agreement with DeWanna Bonner

What it means for Indiana: After getting back-to-back No. 1 picks in Aliyah Boston (2023) and Caitlin Clark (2024), Indiana made the playoffs last season for the first time since 2016. Clark's immense popularity helped rocket the Fever to the league's attendance lead and prompted a return of longtime team president Kelly Krauskopf, plus the hiring of Amber Cox as general manager and the return of Stephanie White as coach.

Kelsey Mitchell got the core player designation and re-signed with Indiana in January. With 2024 All-Stars Mitchell, Boston and Clark returning, the Fever wanted to add more veteran savvy for the potential of a deeper playoff run.

DeWanna Bonner is entering her 16th season, Natasha Howard her 12th and Sophie Cunningham her seventh. Bonner and Howard are past WNBA champions.

How it will shape the 2025 season: Indiana's brain trust didn't have to say it out loud: It was obvious the Fever wanted veteran players who were not only talented, but would also boost their energy, leadership and camaraderie.

Opposing defenses were as physical as possible with Clark last season, a standard tactic against rookies. Now she is a year older, stronger, wiser -- and has experienced players who are known for having their teammates' backs.

Dominoes: Clark, who led the league in assists last season, now has three more players who run the court very well that she can pass to. And Fever fans, who fell head over heels for the team last season, have already embraced the newcomers. -- Voepel

[sgt.null]

The Fever only brought 15 players to camp, which indicated they were pretty comfortable with their roster and rotation heading into the season. Second-round pick Makayla Timpson was the lone rookie to make the team, which will only feature 11 players due to salary cap concerns.

[sgt.null]

WNBA 2025 season preview: Indiana Fever.

When we last saw them: Connecticut swept Indiana 2-0 in the first round of the 2024 playoffs. But it was huge for the Fever to be back in the postseason for the first time since 2016. Indiana was 1-5 against Connecticut -- counting the playoffs -- in 2024, but now former Sun coach Stephanie White returns for her second stint coaching the Fever. Caitlin Clark was Rookie of the Year, an All-WNBA first-team pick and led the league in assists (8.4 APG).

Biggest strength: The Fever ranked first in field goal percentage (45.6) and third in scoring (85.0 PPG) and offensive rating (106.1) last season with a rookie point guard. After a season of experience, Clark is likely to cut down on turnovers and be even more efficient. Adding DeWanna Bonner, Natasha Howard and Sophie Cunningham should make the offense even better, as they join Clark, Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston.

Biggest concern: Indiana's defense has looked improved based on what we've seen in the preseason. The Fever were next-to-last in scoring defense (87.7) and defensive rating (109.5) last season. Former defensive player of the year Howard (2019) should help, along with Bonner, whose versatility allows her to guard many types of players.

The thing we'll be talking about most this season: How the Fever play against the teams that have been the league's best in recent years. They were a combined 3-12 vs. last season's semifinalists: Connecticut, Las Vegas, Minnesota and New York. This year, Indiana hopes to be one of those teams.

Number to watch: Indiana had the second-fewest road victories -- going 8-12 -- among the eight playoff teams. Along with playing better defense, the Fever look to improve away from Indianapolis.

One (realistic) bold prediction: The Fever, who were fifth in 3-pointers per game (9.2) last season, could be first this year with Cunningham and Bonner joining sharpshooters Clark and Mitchell.
What does a successful season look like? The Fever have talked about contending for a championship, and they indeed might have the tools to do that. But to make the semifinals would still be big progress for a franchise that hasn't been that far since playing in the 2015 WNBA Finals, when Indiana fell to Minnesota in five games. -- Voepel

[sgt.null]

https://www.espn.com/wnba/boxscore/_/gameId/401736115

https://www.espn.com/wnba/game/_/gameId ... /sky-fever

Caitlin Clark had a triple double in the win, the third of her career.

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Caitlin Clark-Angel Reese rivalry added another chapter Saturday when Reese took exception to Clark's hard foul with 4:38 left in the third quarter as the Indiana Fever defeated the Chicago Sky 93-58 to open their seasons.

After Reese grabbed an offensive rebound, Clark slapped Reese across the arm, knocking the ball away and Reese to the floor. Reese then jumped up and confronted Clark as Fever center Aliyah Boston jumped in between the two players.

Following a replay review, the referees upgraded the foul to a flagrant 1 and called double technical fouls.

[sgt.null]

Rhyne Howard's late free throw helps the Dream outlast Caitlin Clark and the Fever, 91-90

Rhyne Howard made a go-ahead free throw with 9.1 seconds left, and the Atlanta Dream withstood a thrilling fourth-quarter rally led by Caitlin Clark to beat the Indiana Fever 91-90 on Tuesday night.

Clark ignited the Fever with two of her signature deep 3-pointers early in the fourth quarter and finished with 27 points and 11 assists.

Brittney Griner scored 21 points in her first victory with the Dream (1-1), and Howard made four 3-pointers and scored 20. Brionna Jones added 19 points and 13 rebounds, and Allisha Gray had 16 points and six assists.

Aaliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell each scored 24 points for the Fever (1-1), who trailed 76-65 at the start of the fourth quarter. Boston, who also had 10 rebounds, made a free throw to give Indiana a 90-89 advantage with 21.7 seconds left — its first lead since 2-0.

After Rhyne Howard put the Dream back on top, Natasha Howard had two chances to win it in the closing seconds, but her first shot near the rim was blocked by Nia Coffey. Natasha Howard chased down the rebound but her 12-foot jumper clanked off the rim.

Another near-capacity crowd, which included two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson and 2021 NASCAR champion Kyle Larson, saw a physical contest that looked like it could turn into a rout when Atlanta pulled out to a 67-53 lead late in the third quarter.

But Indiana cut the deficit to 80-76 on Clark's back-to-back 3s, the second from 30 feet with 7:28 to go.

The Dream led 89-80 with 4:09 to play, but Indiana's defense dug in. Mitchell made a 3, Clark followed with a layup and then assisted on Boston's layup, and Mitchell tied it with 1:04 left.

Up next

The teams will play again Thursday night at Atlanta.

https://www.espn.com/wnba/recap/_/gameId/401736122

[sgt.null]

Natasha Howard scores 26 and Fever beat Dream 81-76 despite Caitlin Clark not making a 3.

https://www.espn.com/wnba/game/_/gameId ... ever-dream

Natasha Howard scored 26 points and the Indiana Fever overcame Caitlin Clark's cold long-distance shooting to beat the Atlanta Dream 81-76 before a sellout crowd on Thursday night to split a two-game series this week.

Atlanta won 91-90 at Indiana on Tuesday night.

Clark missed each of her five 3-pointers. That ended a streak of 140 games, including the WNBA regular season and playoffs and the bulk of her college career at Iowa, with at least one 3. The last time Clark was held without a 3 was Jan. 13, 2022, when she went 0 for 6 against Purdue during her sophomore season.

Clark and teammate Aliyah Boston each went to the bench with four fouls early in the third quarter. Clark finished with 11 points with six assists.

Kelsey Mitchell's 3-pointer gave Indiana a 76-75 lead. Clark found Boston for a layup, only her second field goal, that extended the lead to 79-76.

Rhyne Howard led Atlanta with 24 points.

Clark said before the game she was enjoying the NBA Indiana Pacers' playoff run. She said she took video of herself at she reacted to Tyrese Haliburton’s jumper that sent Game 1 of the Pacers' Eastern Conference finals against the New York Knicks into overtime before Indiana took the 138-135 win on Wednesday night.

Sophie Cunningham scored nine points in her debut for Indiana after missing the first two games with a right ankle sprain. Coach Stephanie White said Cunningham was cleared to play with no restriction on her minutes.

The Dream announced guard Jordin Canada, out with a right knee injury, will resume basketball activities “in the coming weeks.”

The Dream moved the game to State Farm Arena, home to the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks, and said shortly before tipoff that the 16,888-seat venue was sold out. The Dream’s normal home, Gateway Center Arena, holds only 3,500.

[sgt.null]

https://www.espn.com/wnba/game/_/gameId ... erty-fever

The Indiana Fever (2-2) suffered a 90-88 loss to the defending WNBA Champions, the New York Liberty, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Saturday afternoon.

A tightly-contested first quarter saw both teams trading baskets inside the paint, with Aliyah Boston leading the way for the Fever with 10 points in the period. With under two minutes left in the first quarter, Caitlin Clark found Lexie Hull in traffic for a layup, followed by Dewanna Bonner intercepting the ensuing inbound pass, giving it to Hull who hit a three-pointer to record five points in six seconds. Boston followed up with seven points in the second quarter, but it was the Liberty, backed by an 11-point quarter from Sabrina Ionescu, who took the 55-46 lead into the halftime break.

Eight points in the third quarter from Hull and seven from Kelsey Mitchell helped give the Fever their first lead since the first quarter. Near the end of the third, a four-point play, followed by a 34-foot buzzer beater, both from Caitlin Clark, made it an eight-point game in favor of Indiana heading into the final quarter.

Following a 30-point third quarter in which Indiana only allowed 13 points, the Fever continued to find success at the rim with Natasha Howard sinking three-consecutive layups. After the Liberty pulled the score back even, the two sides battled back-and-forth with New York taking the lead and eventual win with 2.9 seconds left off free throws. The home side took an attempt on the final shot of the game but was unable to convert at the buzzer.

[sgt.null]

Mystics beat the short-handed Fever 83-77 with injured star Caitlin Clark watching from bench

Brittney Sykes had 21 points and nine rebounds, Kiki Iriafen added 16 points, and the Washington Mystics beat the short-handed Indiana Fever 83-77 on Wednesday night at CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore.

Reigning Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark did not play for Indiana due to a strained left quad. She was injured while playing against New York on Saturday.

It was the first time in Clark’s career she missed a regular-season game after playing in all 40 games and both playoff games last season and the first four games this year.

Sykes blocked a layup attempt by Kelsey Mitchell with 1:06 left in the fourth quarter and she made 3 of 4 free throws in the final minute to keep Washington in front by multiple possessions.

Shakira Austin scored all 13 of her points in the first half to help the Mystics take a 44-40 lead at the break. Sonia Citron also finished with 13 points for Washington (3-3), which snapped a three-game losing streak.

DeWanna Bonner scored 21 points, including a long 3-pointer just before the final buzzer, to lead Indiana (2-3). Bonner became the first player in WNBA history to reach 7,500 points, 3,000 rebounds and 1,000 assists.

Mitchell added 14 points, Natasha Howard scored 11 and Aliyah Boston had 10 for Indiana. Sydney Colson started in place of Clark and scored four points in 31 minutes.

[sgt.null]

Sun snap 5-game skid with an 85-83 win over the Caitlin Clark-less Fever

INDIANAPOLIS -- — Marina Mabrey scored 15 of her 26 points in the third quarter, Tina Charles added 18 points and the Connecticut Sun snapped a five-game, season-opening losing streak with an 85-83 victory over the short-handed Indiana Fever on Friday night.

Indiana was without star Caitlin Clark, who missed her second game due to a strained left quad. Clark was injured while playing against New York on Saturday.

Connecticut led 74-59 early in the fourth quarter before the Fever stormed back and scored 16 straight points to take the lead.

Indiana, which hit only three of its first 12 3-point attempts, used a 19-2 run that was highlighted by three straight 3s for a 78-76 lead with 2:46 left.

The teams combined to make a 3-pointer on four consecutive possessions, with Lexie Hull's corner 3 pulling Indiana within 82-81. Mabrey answered with a jumper from the line for a three-point lead with 1:15 left.

Connecticut rookie Saniya Rivers went 1 of 2 at the line with 5.8 seconds left for an 85-83 lead. After a timeout, Kelsey Mitchell mishandled an inbounds pass and was well short on a corner 3-pointer at the buzzer with Charles defending.


Rivers finished with 12 points and six assists for Connecticut (1-5).

Aliyah Boston had 17 points, five rebounds and seven assists for Indiana (2-4). Mitchell and Bonner finished with 13 points apiece.

Indiana guard Sophie Cunningham was helped off the court with six minutes remaining in the fourth after appearing to injure her right ankle.

[sgt.null]

Kelsey Mitchell scores 23 and the Fever _ without Caitlin Clark -- beat the Mystics 85-76

INDIANAPOLIS -- — Kelsey Mitchell had 23 points, Lexie Hull scored all 14 of her points in the second half and the short-handed Indiana Fever, playing without Caitlin Clark, beat the Washington Mystics 85-76 on Tuesday night to snap a three-game losing streak.

Clark was out with a left quad strain, while veteran guard Sophie Cunningham exited early in Friday’s loss to Connecticut and did not play against the Mystics.

The Fever scored 31 points in the third quarter — after scoring 38 in the entire first half — to take a 69-55 lead. Aari McDonald, making her Indiana debut, made the Fever’s fifth 3-pointer of the third with 2:29 left.

Washington scored the opening 12 points of the fourth quarter to get within 69-67 on layup by Brittney Sykes.

But Indiana scored seven straight points to pull away. Hull made an open layup for a 78-73 lead and she helped force a jump ball at the other end. The Fever won the jump ball and Mitchell completed a three-point play, after a reverse layup, for an eight-point lead at 1:28.

Aliyah Boston added 10 points for Indiana (3-4).

Kiki Iriafen and Sykes each scored 20 points for Washington (3-5). Sonia Citron, second among rookies at 14.3 points per game, added 13 points and Shakira Austin had 10.

The Fever made a season-high 11 3-pointers, while the Mystics were just 1 of 10 from long range.

[sgt.null]

INDIANAPOLIS (June 2, 2025) — The Indiana Fever has announced the signing of guard Aari (AIR-ee) McDonald via emergency hardship exception. The WNBA emergency hardship exception allows any team to sign a player, with immediate effect, if a team drops below 10 game-eligible players at any time.

Over the course of her four-year WNBA career, McDonald averaged 8.6 points per game, 2.8 assists per game, and 2.0 rebounds per game.

McDonald spent the 2024 season with the Los Angeles Sparks where she averaged 8.7 points per game, appearing in 26 games total. Drafted No. 3 overall by the Atlanta Dream in the 2021 WNBA Draft, McDonald averaged 6.3 points, 1.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 30 games and was subsequently named to the WNBA All-Rookie Team. During the 2023 season, McDonald helped Atlanta qualify for their first playoff berth since 2018.

[sgt.null]

Kelsey Mitchell scores 17 to help Fever beat Sky 79-52


CHICAGO -- — Kelsey Mitchell scored 17 points, Natasha Howard added 13 and Indiana never trailed Saturday night as the Fever beat the Chicago Sky 79-52.

Indiana (4-4), which beat Washington 85-76 last time out to snap a three-game skid, have won back-to-back games and are 2-2 without injured star Caitlin Clark.

Angel Reese grabbed 12 rebounds and finished with four points on 2-of-7 shooting for the Sky (2-5). Kamilla Cardoso and Rebecca Allen scored eight points apiece.

Aari McDonald, who hit three 3-pointers, finished with 12 points and three steals for the Fever. Aliyah Boston had 11 points, five rebounds and five assists.

Mitchell made a layup, McDonald made back-to-back 3-pointers and Mitchell hit a step-back jumper in a 10-1 run that gave Indiana a 17-7 lead with 4:01 left in the first quarter. The Fever led by as many as 14 before they took a 41-28 lead into halftime and led by double digits the rest of the way.

Indiana shot 46% from the field, hit 11 3-pointers and had 20 assists on 27 field goals.

The Sky made 18 of 56 (32.1%) from the field, shot 20% (3 of 15) from 3-point range and committed 19 turnovers.

Fever coach Stephanie White missed the game due to personal reasons. Austin Kelly served as acting head coach.

[sgt.null]

INDIANAPOLIS -- Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark will be reevaluated this weekend as she looks to come back from a left quad strain that has sidelined her for the past three games. While she could be back as early as Tuesday, the 2024 No. 1 pick said she will not rush her return.

"I'll miss this weekend's game [Saturday against the Chicago Sky], but after that, it's day-by-day and see how I feel, and just turn to the medical staff and what they think," Clark said. "I feel like I've made a lot of progress and I feel good, and I'm not going to rush coming back. It's just not worth it. But after this weekend, I'll be reevaluated and we'll have a better idea of when I'll return."

[sgt.null]

Ranking WNBA roster cores: Stacking 13 teams' young players

1. Indiana Fever
Average age (league ranking): 28.5 (6th youngest)

Key players to build on (age): Caitlin Clark (23), Aliyah Boston (23), Lexie Hull (25)

It's no surprise to see the Fever here with the brightest group of young stars in the WNBA. With Clark and Boston, Indiana has the No. 1 picks from the 2023 and 2024 drafts -- each of whom went on to win Rookie of the Year in back-to-back seasons as well. When healthy (and both have been extremely durable throughout college and the pros, up until Clark's recent injury), no team has a dynamic duo this good and this young.

That's particularly true when you consider how well their games complement each other's, with Clark serving as the WNBA's ultimate heliocentric perimeter creator and initiator, and Boston scoring inside the arc with high volume and efficiency. The two took some time to figure out how to mesh in Clark's rookie season last year, but both were improving their numbers early this season before Clark got hurt. Boston has a sky-high 65.7 True Shooting % (TS%) this season, for instance, while scoring 16.8 points per game.

Don't sleep on Hull, either; the fourth-year guard out of Stanford has improved each year of her WNBA career and is tracking for a breakout performance.

[sgt.null]

Gray scores 23 points to power Dream over Fever 77-58 as injured Clark misses 5th straight game

ATLANTA -- — Allisha Gray scored 23 points, Brionna Jones added a season-high 21 and the Atlanta Dream beat Indiana 77-58 on Tuesday night as the Fever again played without Caitlin Clark.

Gray contributed a steal and a blocked shot in an 11-0 run in the third quarter that gave the Dream a 47-37 lead. Gray's 3-pointer stretched the lead to 54-42 late in the quarter. Atlanta outscored Indiana 23-9 in the decisive period.

Natasha Howard had 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Fever.

Indiana coach Stephanie White announced on Monday that Clark would miss her fifth consecutive game with a left quadriceps strain.

White said before Tuesday night's game that Clark participated in “a little practice” on Monday and added it was in a “controlled environment.” White said Clark, who was with the team and watched from the Indiana bench, would participate in more practice this week.

“The most important thing for us is to not position ourselves to have any setbacks,” White said.

Indiana guard Sophie Cunningham, who has been limited to four games by a right ankle injury, also was held out.

It was the third meeting between the Eastern Conference teams this season, including two in Atlanta. The Fever took an 81-76 win before a sellout crowd at State Farm Arena, home of the NBA's Atlanta Hawks, on May 22. Atlanta won 91-90 at Indiana on May 20.

The return visit to Atlanta was scheduled for 3,500-seat Gateway Arena, the usual home of the Dream, even before it was known Clark would not play.

[sgt.null]

We're a month into the WNBA season, meaning it's time for some evaluations.

[sgt.null]

We're a Month Into the WNBA season. Time for a Grade.

Indiana Fever (4-5) C+
The Fever were fourth in our preseason predictions, so the buzz was warranted. But they haven't measured up to those expectations yet -- for good reason. They've been without point guard and catalyst Caitlin Clark (quad injury) the past five games, with guard Sophie Cunningham also limited to just four appearances. The Fever also know a lot of growth is needed to become a contender. Forward Aliyah Boston and guard Lexie Hull have shown improvement. Guard Kelsey Mitchell, in her eighth season, remains a pillar. Stephanie White -- back for her second stint as Indiana's coach -- wants her group to play better against physical opponents and find its rhythm on offense. Clark's return will help the team take advantage of transition opportunities. And when the Fever are playing at a fast pace offensively, it helps their defense. -- Voepel

[sgt.null]

Guards Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham are expected to play for the Indiana Fever in Saturday's game against the New York Liberty, coach Stephanie White said Friday after practice in Indianapolis.

Clark has been out since May 26 with a quad strain and has missed five games, during which the Fever have gone 2-3. She last played May 24 against the Liberty, posting 18 points and 10 assists in a 90-88 loss to the defending champions.

"It's definitely been a process," 6-footer Clark said of working her way back from the injury. "I think the hardest part is when you begin to feel really good, and then it's just the process of working yourself back into actually getting up and down and getting out there with my teammates. And obviously that can be a little difficult, at the same time, when they're prepping for their games that I'm not going to be available in."

Clark credited the medical staff for helping with her recovery and said she tried to focus on learning from the bench while she has been out.

White said Clark has progressively gotten better as she has returned to practice.

"She's working her way back," White told reporters. "I felt like today was better than yesterday in terms of just movement, balance and feeling like she's getting back into rhythm, timing, all those things. As long as we don't have any regression, she's going to be ready to roll."

White added that, so far, Clark has not had any regression since returning to regular workouts, "so I don't anticipate there being any."

Cunningham missed the Fever's first two games of the season with an ankle injury. She returned for the next four but reinjured her ankle in an 85-83 loss to the Connecticut Sun on May 30.

I think she's going to be ready to roll as well," White said. "Sophie looked really good. Her timing was good. Getting back into game rhythm and timing is the most important thing, and then being able to change directions. So they both look good."

Their returns for Saturday's game (3 p.m. ET, ABC) will come against a Liberty squad that is trying to become the fourth team in WNBA history to open a season with at least 10 straight wins. The 2016 Minnesota Lynx hold the league record, having started 13-0.

The Fever don't expect to have guard/forward DeWanna Bonner, who has been away from practice for personal reasons.

"She's doing as well as she can be," White said. "We're going to continue to support her and give her the time that she needs."
Indiana is coming off its most lopsided loss of the season, having shot a season-worst 36.2% in a 77-58 loss at Atlanta on Tuesday.

[sgt.null]

INDIANAPOLIS -- On a weekend with the Indianapolis 500 qualifying in town and the Pacers preparing for the Eastern Conference finals, the Indiana Fever's season opener took a backseat to no one.

Last season, Caitlin Clark took the WNBA by storm and helped the Fever snap a seven-year playoff drought.
After an aggressive offseason focused on supplementing the star power of Clark and Aliyah Boston, the Fever entered 2025 thinking much bigger.

"My expectation is for us to try to win a championship," Clark told media members before Indiana's opener against the Chicago Sky. "But when I take the court, that's not what I'm thinking about. It's what can we do every single possession to win the game."

Indiana then torched the Sky 93-58, and Clark had a triple-double. Led by Stephanie White, in her second stint as coach, the Fever had a perfect start to the 2025 season.

A week later, they took the undefeated, defending champion New York Liberty to the final seconds before falling 90-88. After going 1-3 against the Liberty last season, including two blowout losses, the Fever now looked like they were on more common ground and led by 12 at one point. It was the kind of game that seemingly validated the team's championship talk and offseason makeover.

But things quickly got a lot more complicated.

Clark, the 2024 first overall draft pick and WNBA Rookie of the Year, was sidelined May 26 by a left quad strain, the first time in her pro or college career she has missed any games. The Fever are 4-5 overall, 2-3 without her. They hope she might return Saturday when they again host the Liberty (ABC, 3 p.m. ET).

"Since the start of the season, Steph has told us that things aren't going to be perfect and not everything is going to go the way we think," Fever forward Aliyah Boston told ESPN. "You have to be ready to face whatever happens."

With Clark on the court, the Fever looked like contenders. But Indiana's ups and downs in the first month also show the difficulty translating potential to raising a trophy. And even with consecutive No. 1 picks Boston and Clark, the championship window is more immediate than one might think.

"The margin for error when you're talking about playing championship-caliber teams is so small," White said.

In Clark, the Fever have one of the most popular athletes in the country, a player with the skill and charisma to garner a nonstop spotlight that has spread to the entire organization. The Fever have tried to surround her as quickly as possible with the right cast.

Caitlin's a player that right now has the most talent around her that she's ever had," White added. "Our job as coaches is how we figure out how to put us in position to be the best team that we can be."

THE FEVER WERE once a perennial playoff team, reaching 12 consecutive postseasons from 2005 to 2016 and winning the 2012 WNBA title. In 2022, they won a program-worst five games as their playoff drought stretched on. But with the first pick in the 2023 draft, Indiana selected Boston, who went on to win Rookie of the Year.

Now, despite how young their stars are, the Fever are on the clock. Some teams in professional sports ascend to the top with long builds, but a common mentality among ownership and front offices now is to take a chance when it presents itself.

The precedents in the WNBA are the Seattle Storm and Las Vegas Aces. The Storm had back-to-back No. 1 picks in 2001 (Lauren Jackson) and 2002 (Sue Bird), then won a championship in 2004. They were still together for a 2010 title.

Las Vegas had three consecutive No. 1 selections: Kelsey Plum (2017, when the franchise was still in San Antonio), A'ja Wilson in 2018 and Jackie Young in 2019. The Aces reached the 2020 Finals and then won the 2022 and 2023 championships.

The Fever's 20-20 record in 2024 was proof their championship window was open. In came a revamped brain trust -- coach, general manager and president -- for 2025.

They prioritized the return of the longest-tenured Fever player, free agent guard Kelsey Mitchell. For offseason additions, the Fever targeted players with a lot of playoff experience: forwards DeWanna Bonner and Natasha Howard and guards Sophie Cunningham and Sydney Colson.

Last year, our goal was getting back to the playoffs," Clark said. "This year, our front office made a lot of really great changes to be able to put this roster together and construct a team that can win now -- if we do everything the right way."

Howard was the No. 5 pick by the Fever in the 2014 draft; she spent two seasons in Indiana, including competing in the 2015 WNBA Finals. Since then, she has played for Minnesota, Seattle, New York and Dallas, winning championships with the Lynx (2017) and Storm (2018, 2020).

Howard, finishing a cup of ice cream after practice, said she spends very little time on social media but noticed the response when she signed with the Fever earlier this year.

The fans were like, 'We're really happy you're back here.' I loved it," Howard said with a smile.

Faces from the Fever's past are everywhere at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, as if the good vibes from the franchise's best days are channeled into the present. White, who coached the Sun in 2023 and 2024, is back where she spent 11 years as a player and coach. Team president Kelly Krauskopf was the Fever's original GM when the franchise launched in 2000. She left to be assistant GM of the Pacers in 2018 and now has returned.

Former Fever players Briann January, Karima Christmas-Kelly and Tully Bevilaqua are part of the coaching staff. Lin Dunn, the longtime Fever head coach including for the 2012 title, stepped in as GM in 2022 when the franchise was at rock bottom following superstar Tamika Catchings' retirement in 2016.

Dunn, 78, had retired from basketball but agreed to return, saying she thought she could make progress in three seasons. She did, and she remains with the team as a senior adviser.

Current GM Amber Cox and Bonner are new to the Fever, but both recall the atmosphere when Indiana played in its first WNBA Finals in 2009. They were with the Fever's opponent, the Phoenix Mercury, which beat Indiana in five games.

In 2009, Bonner, now 37 and a mother of 7-year-old twins, was a WNBA rookie; Clark was 7 years old.

"Sometimes, I just say, 'Oh my god, you kids!' " Bonner said, laughing, about her younger teammates. "But at the same time, that keeps me going."

Bonner won two titles with the Mercury and then played in the 2022 Finals with Connecticut, where she spent 2020-24. She didn't come to Indiana to take over, but to fit in.

"I felt like they had their chemistry already with their core, with CC, Kelsey and AB," Bonner told ESPN. "They just needed a few more accessories around them -- good people. We have good energy in the locker room. You always can tell -- before you step on the court -- what it's going to be like by the locker room first."

Cunningham said she was pleased to be traded to Indiana despite enjoying six seasons in Phoenix, where she was drafted in 2019. The Fever's style of play appealed to her, and she was ready for a change.

"It felt like it was time to go," Cunningham told ESPN. "And everything about this made sense."

Cunningham is a high-energy player, much like guard Lexie Hull, whom the Fever picked No. 6 in the 2022 draft.

"In sports, there are two types of chemistry: the on-court chemistry and then the things you don't really know until you get everybody together and see how they interact," Krauskopf told ESPN. "It can look good on paper, but you have to see it play out. This group, they all want it to be successful. They want the chemistry to work."

BEFORE CLARK WAS sidelined by injury, the Fever were 2-2 and had lost those games by a total of three points.

On May 20 at home, the Fever lost 91-90 to Atlanta in a game that came down to a final possession. Four days later came the two-point loss to New York in Indianapolis. They had a chance to win or tie on the final possession, but veteran Liberty guard Natasha Cloud knocked the ball away from Clark and time expired. That was the last time Clark played.

We are two possessions from being 4-0," Clark said after falling to New York. "But there were so many little areas of this game we could have improved. It definitely stings, but this is what's going to make us better at the end of the year."

Then Clark was injured. Without her, the Fever lost back-to-back games to Washington and Connecticut, two teams not projected to be in the playoffs this season. And more injuries followed. Cunningham has been limited to four games because of an ankle injury. And in that late-May loss to the Sun, Colson exited with a leg injury, leaving the Fever with eight players the rest of the game and down to their fourth point guard option.

Signing guard Aari McDonald via a hardship exception helped Indiana bounce back to beat the Mystics in their second meeting on June 3. And on June 7, in front of more than 19,000 fans in the first WNBA game played at Chicago's United Center, the Fever crushed the Sky for a second time this season, winning 79-62. White missed that game dealing with family concerns, then returned Tuesday as the Dream snapped the Fever's two-game win streak, 77-58.

Throughout her injury absence, Clark has been an enthusiastic "assistant coach."

"She doesn't like sitting still," Hull said. "She likes being occupied and having something to do, so the coaches give her things to keep track of. I mean, you see it -- she wants to be out there. She's talking to the refs, she's still very much involved."

A recent video on social media showed Clark bouncing a small ball on the sideline and play-wrestling with Colson. "Oh my gosh, she's like a little kid," Boston joked. "She needs to keep herself entertained.

"But seriously, she's always talking, always moving. It keeps everything pretty light. That's her personality."
Boston and Clark clicked as a post-guard duo last season, a connection that has only deepened. They're eager to be on the court together again, but they know adversity is part of the journey.

"Everything is not going to be picture-perfect in a season," Boston said. "You have to be realistic about it. Whoever is ready and healthy and can compete, you just have to go with that."

No one knows that better than Mitchell, now in her eighth WNBA season. The Fever drafted her at No. 2 in 2018, and she's playing for her fifth coach in Indiana. She has yet to experience a winning season -- last year's .500 record was the best it has been in her career -- and the Fever totaled single-digit victories in four of her seasons.

Mitchell believes in what the Fever are doing now but also doesn't sugarcoat things. After Indiana's home loss to Atlanta, she was blunt in the postgame news conference.

"Today we failed miserably as a group," Mitchell said. "Awareness, knowing personnel, discipline -- being on top of that. Being able to withstand runs.

"I kid you not: This is one of the hardest-working groups I've ever seen. [But] some nights are good, some nights are bad. It's part of being a professional athlete."

Offense has been the Fever's strongest point since Clark has joined the team. Her ability to run the offense at a fast pace was elite quickly into her pro career.

"Oftentimes, we say it's like making music," White said. "It's like a dance, like rhythm, all those things."

The Fever have to get better defensively, especially compared to last season, when they had the league's second-worst defensive rating. January, who is in charge of the Fever defense, was an outstanding defensive player who brings that to her coaching.

Bri has really challenged our group to be physical, to be up in their space," Clark said. "If you do that, you're going to deny passing lanes, try to get steals, jam up their handoffs. You're never by yourself; you have built-in help.

"And the thing about watching film is, you go back and look and it's never as bad as it seems. But it's also never as good as it seems."

Perhaps that's the best way to look at the Fever's season so far. At times, they've played so well it's understandable why there's so much excitement about them. Other times, the flaws have shown.

We're preparing ourselves for September and October," Hull said. "If we can go through this stuff now to prepare for that, it's good. There are times it's not fun, but we're all willing to stay in it, stay focused and just understand it's part of the process."