Indiana Fever, American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis that plays in the Eastern Conference of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team has won three conference titles (2009, 2012, and 2015) and one WNBA championship (2012).
The Fever joined the WNBA as an expansion team in 2000. The team’s owner, Herb Simon, also owns the National Basketball Association’s Indiana Pacers. Although the team’s 9–23 record was one of the worst in the league in its first year, the losing season assured the Fever a high pick in the 2001 WNBA draft. The team then laid the foundation for future success by selecting star forward Tamika Catchings of the University of Tennessee with the third overall pick in that draft. Catchings was unable to play in 2001 due to a knee injury, but the following year she averaged 18.6 points per game and led Indiana to the franchise’s first playoff appearance.
Beginning in 2005, the Fever made the playoffs in 12 consecutive seasons. The team enjoyed particular success under head coach Lin Dunn, who took the helm ahead of the 2008 season. Dunn guided the Fever to the 2009 finals, where the team lost to the Phoenix Mercury in a five-game series. Indiana posted a 22–12 record in 2012 and returned to the finals, this time defeating the Minnesota Lynx in four games to claim the team’s first championship. Catchings, who tallied 22.3 points, 6 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game in the series, won the finals’ Most Valuable Player award.
| season | record | playoffs | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 6–16 | missed playoffs | |
| 2021 | 6–26 | missed playoffs | |
| 2022 | 5–31 | missed playoffs | |
| 2023 | 13–27 | missed playoffs | |
| 2024 | 20–20 | lost in the first round | |
Stephanie White replaced Dunn as the Fever’s head coach in 2015. That year the Fever reached the finals again but lost a rematch with the Lynx. After the Fever concluded the 2016 season with a first-round playoff loss to the Mercury, Catchings retired. Indiana subsequently acquired veteran forward Candice Dupree, who soon emerged as the Fever’s leading scorer. In 2017 the Fever went 9–25 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2004. More losing seasons followed, and the team underwent several coaching changes. After posting a record of 5–31 in 2022, the Fever improved to 13–27 the following season. In the 2024 WNBA draft, the team selected college phenom Caitlin Clark. The sharpshooting point guard lived up to expectations in her rookie season, helping the Fever improve to a 20–20 record. The team returned to the playoffs, where Indiana lost in the first round to the Connecticut Sun.