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Fans Ponder Christie Sides' Fate After Indiana Fever Front Office Change

After another Indiana Fever front office change, fans are wondering whether Christie Sides has coached her last game with Indiana.
Grant Young|
Sep 22, 2024; Uncasville, Connecticut, USA; Indiana Fever head coach Christie Sides during game one of the first round of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs at Mohegan Sun Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark Smith-Imagn Images
Sep 22, 2024; Uncasville, Connecticut, USA; Indiana Fever head coach Christie Sides during game one of the first round of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs at Mohegan Sun Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark Smith-Imagn Images | Mark Smith-Imagn Images

On Friday, the Indiana Fever announced that they have named Amber Cox as the team's new Chief Operating Officer (COO) and General Manager. This coincides with Lin Dunn, the team's previous GM, entering a new role as Senior Advisor for the Fever.

Cox has been in the WNBA for a long time and has an impressive pedigree. She has previously served as Chief Operating Officer of the Dallas Wings, Vice President for Sports with the Connecticut Sun, and President of the Phoenix Mercury before that.

This is the second intriguing change to the front office that Indiana has made in recent weeks. Last month, Indiana announced Kelly Krauskopf (who had served as Fever President for nearly two decades before leaving to join the Pacers as an assistant GM) is returning as President of Basketball and Business Operations.

Front office changes like these often precipitate other decisions, such as the new members deciding to bring a new head coach on board. This has fans on social media wondering whether current Fever head coach Christie Sides' days might be numbered.

One X user posted a gif of Celtics star Jayson Tatum celebrating and wrote, "This officially means Christie Sides is on a short leash. She wasn’t Amber’s pick, so if she doesn’t like something, she will definitely be quick to get rid of her. WE HERE."

"Christie Sides, go ahead and clean out your office for me," wrote another.

"Can’t wait for all of us to smoke on that Christie Sides pack 💨 when she gets fired and put something on the grill when that day comes," a third added.

Given that Sides led Indiana to the playoffs for the first time since 2016 this season, firing her might be hard to justify. But crazier things have certainly happened.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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