Sydney Colson Explains 'Intentional' Locker Room Shift Behind Fever Winning Run

Indiana Fever guard Sydney Colson shared an interesting message about the Fever's locker room chemistry.
May 28, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Indiana Fever guard Sydney Colson (51) reacts to a call from the referee in the first quarter against the Washington Mystics at Entertainment & Sports Arena. Mandatory Credit: Emily Faith Morgan-Imagn Images
May 28, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Indiana Fever guard Sydney Colson (51) reacts to a call from the referee in the first quarter against the Washington Mystics at Entertainment & Sports Arena. Mandatory Credit: Emily Faith Morgan-Imagn Images | Emily Faith Morgan-Imagn Images

The Indiana Fever's team culture and camaraderie shone through during the 2025 WNBA season, especially during the team's improbable postseason run, where they made it within one game of making it to the WNBA Finals.

Not only did this team culture and camaraderie show itself on the court through the resilience and tenacity the team showed in the face of elimination and whenever else they had their backs against the wall, but in the support that Fever players received from their teammates; especially the ones that were out for the season with injuries but who still poured into the team with whatever they could.

What's perhaps most impressive about this is that some of the key pieces within the locker room hadn't been with the team before 2025. For example, Sydney Colson and Sophie Cunningham were obviously leaders both on and off the court (despite being among those who missed the postseason with injury), and each of them came to the Fever this past offseason.

Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White and guard Sydney Colson (51) on August 1, 2025
Aug 1, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White and guard Sydney Colson (51) during the game between the Dallas Wings and the Indiana Fever at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Sydney Colson's Comments About Fever Off-Court Shift Speaks Volumes

Colson was the guest on an October 29 episode of Fever star Aliyah Boston's Post Moves podcast, which she co-hosts alongside WNBA legend Candace Parker. And at one point in the episode, Colson offered a poignant response when Boston asked her what the biggest surprise about the Fever's locker room was for her during the 2025 campaign.

"I think the environment in the locker room was much better than you would have anticipated, as like, somebody from the outside looking in," Colson said.

She then added, "I think that we were intentional about doing stuff. Like, when we got to the point where we started to hang out more. Everybody was like, 'Oh, yeah, I'm enjoying people off the court.' And at that point, we were already on a stretch of winning some games. And we're like, 'Oh, if hanging off the court helps, we should just keep doing that. Maybe it will help on [the] court, you know what I'm saying?'

"Seeing that we got to the point that we got to, without really developing an off-court relationship, was interesting. And I think it only got better as we started to do it more," Colson continued. "But yeah, I think that was the most surprising thing for me, the in-locker-room chemistry."

The Fever roster becoming closer off the court improving their success on the court explains why this team seemed like such good friends during their unexpected postseason run.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the Indiana Fever 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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