History of Indiana Fever in Timeline

The Indiana Fever are a professional women's basketball team based in Indianapolis, competing in the WNBA's Eastern Conference. Founded in 2000, the team is owned by Herb Simon, who is the founder of Simon Property Group.

June 7, 1999: WNBA announces Indiana expansion team

On June 7, 1999, the WNBA announced four locations for expansion teams, including Indiana, to coincide with the opening of Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

1999: Logo Creation

In 1999, the Indiana Fever logo was created by designer Todd Radom.

2000: Chris Denari Joined as Play-by-Play Announcer

In 2000, Chris Denari became the team's Play-by-Play Announcer.

2000: Inaugural Season

In 2000, the Indiana Fever team began. In their inaugural campaign coached by Anne Donovan and Nell Fortner, led by center Kara Wolters, the team posted a record of 9–23.

2000: Indiana Fever Founded

In 2000, the Indiana Fever were founded as an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis to compete in the WNBA.

2001: Catchings Drafted

In 2001, the Fever drafted University of Tennessee star Tamika Catchings in the WNBA Draft, but Catchings tore her ACL and missed the entire WNBA season. The Fever posted a 10–22 record.

2002: Offseason changes

During the 2002 offseason, the Indiana Fever added Natalie Williams and Kelly Miller to their roster.

2002: Catchings becomes franchise player

In 2002, Tamika Catchings had been known as the Fever's franchise player.

2002: Catchings wins Rookie of the Year

In 2002, Tamika Catchings won Rookie of the Year honors and made the WNBA All-Star team. The team posted a 16–16 record, earning their first playoff appearance, losing to the Liberty two games to one.

May 29, 2003: First Sellout Game

On May 29, 2003, the Indiana Fever registered their first sellout of 18,345 and defeated the Washington Mystics on national television.

2004: Missed Playoffs

In 2004, the Indiana Fever finished with a 15–19 record and missed the playoffs by one game in the Eastern Conference.

2005: Playoff Run Ends in Conference Finals

In 2005, the Indiana Fever posted a 21–13 record, making the playoffs. They swept the New York Liberty, earning their first playoff series victory, before losing to the Connecticut Sun in the Eastern Conference Finals.

2006: All-Star Additions

During the 2005-2006 offseason, the Indiana Fever acquired Anna DeForge from the Phoenix Mercury and signed free agent Tamika Whitmore from the Los Angeles Sparks. They also drafted La'Tangela Atkinson and Kasha Terry in the 2006 WNBA draft.

2006: Fever Improve Post Play

During the 2006 offseason, the Fever looked to improve their post play. They added veteran forward Sheri Sam and also signed center Tammy Sutton-Brown.

2006: Fever Lose in First Round of Playoffs

In 2006, the Indiana Fever started the season 4–0, finishing with a 21–13 record and making the playoffs. Tamika Whitmore scored a WNBA Playoff record 41 points in Game 2 against Detroit, but the Fever lost the series.

March 22, 2007: Fever Sign Tammy Sutton-Brown

On March 22, 2007, the Indiana Fever signed key free agent center Tammy Sutton-Brown.

October 26, 2007: Winters's Option Declined

On October 26, 2007, the Indiana Fever declined the option for head coach Brian Winters, ending his four-year tenure.

December 12, 2007: Lin Dunn Named Head Coach

On December 12, 2007, assistant coach Lin Dunn was named head coach of the Indiana Fever.

2007: Playoff Run Ends After Catchings Injury

In 2007, the Indiana Fever had a strong start, but Tamika Catchings injured her foot in July, causing her to miss the rest of the regular season. The Fever made a 22-point comeback in Game 3 against the Connecticut Sun, the largest in WNBA Playoff history. Catchings then tore her Achilles tendon in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Detroit Shock.

February 19, 2008: Fever Trade for Katie Douglas

On February 19, 2008, the Indiana Fever traded Tamika Whitmore and their first-round pick in the 2008 WNBA draft for Indianapolis native, Katie Douglas.

July 19, 2008: Liberty Outdoor Classic

On July 19, 2008, the Indiana Fever were part of the Liberty Outdoor Classic, the first regular-season professional basketball game played outdoors, defeating the New York Liberty 71–55 at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

2008: Fever Face Financial Uncertainty

After a disappointing 2008 season, Indiana Pacers owners said the Fever were losing money and needed on-court and box office success to avoid folding.

2008: Fever Lose in First Round of Playoffs

In 2008, the Indiana Fever finished with a 17–17 record, losing to the Detroit Shock in the first round of the playoffs.

2009: Fever to Remain in Indianapolis

Due to the success in 2009, the Indiana Fever announced they would remain in Indianapolis for 2010.

2009: Fever reach WNBA Finals

In 2009, the Indiana Fever reached the WNBA Finals, but were defeated by the Phoenix Mercury in game 5.

2010: Fever Confirm 2011 Season

In 2010, the Indiana Fever's 2011 season in Indianapolis was confirmed.

2011: Confirmed season

In 2011, the Indiana Fever was confirmed to be in Indianapolis.

2012: Krauskopf Promoted

After the Fever won the 2012 WNBA championship, general manager Kelly Krauskopf was promoted to president of the franchise.

2012: WNBA Title

In 2012, Lin Dunn guided the team to a WNBA title.

2012: Fever Win WNBA Championship

In 2012, the Indiana Fever defeated the Minnesota Lynx, 3 games to 1, to win their first WNBA title.

2015: Fever Reach WNBA Finals

In 2015, the Indiana Fever competed for another title, reaching the finals for the third time, but lost to the Minnesota Lynx in five games.

November 18, 2016: Pokey Chatman Announced as Head Coach

On November 18, 2016, the Indiana Fever announced Pokey Chatman as their new head coach.

2016: Catchings's Final Game

In 2016, the Indiana Fever made it to the playoffs for the 12th consecutive time but were upset in the first round against the Phoenix Mercury. This game marked the final game of Tamika Catchings's playing career.

2016: Playoff Appearance

In 2024, the Fever made their first playoffs since 2016.

February 2017: Fever Trade for Candice Dupree

In February 2017, the Indiana Fever traded for Candice Dupree along with the Mercury's 2017 first-round pick in a three-team deal.

August 12, 2017: Record Defeat

On August 12, 2017, the Indiana Fever were defeated 111–52 by the Minnesota Lynx, the largest margin of defeat in WNBA history, and allowed a league record 37–0 scoring run.

2017: Chris Denari Stepped Down

In 2017, Chris Denari stepped down as the team's Play-by-Play Announcer.

2018: Last Place Finish

In 2018, the Indiana Fever finished in last place with a 6–28 record.

March 4, 2019: Barber Named President, Catchings Named VP

On March 4, 2019, Pacers Sports & Entertainment announced Allison Barber as the new president and chief operating officer of the Fever, while Tamika Catchings was named vice president of Fever Basketball Operations.

November 27, 2019: Marianne Stanley Introduced as Head Coach

On November 27, 2019, Marianne Stanley was introduced as the head coach of the Indiana Fever. In addition, Catchings was also promoted to general manager.

2019: Fever Announce Temporary Move

Near the end of the 2019 season, the Indiana Fever announced that they would move their home games to Butler University's Hinkle Fieldhouse.

2020: 2020 WNBA Season Played in IMG Academy

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 WNBA season was played in IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.

2021: Home Games Split Between Arenas

For the 2021 season, the Indiana Fever played their first four home games at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, before playing the remaining home games at Indiana Farmers Coliseum.

February 14, 2022: Tamika Catchings Steps Down

On February 14, 2022, Tamika Catchings resigned from her position as the vice president of basketball operations and general manager for the Indiana Fever.

February 24, 2022: Lin Dunn Introduced as Interim General Manager

On February 24, 2022, Lin Dunn, former Fever coach, was introduced as the interim general manager and senior advisor for Fever basketball operations.

2022: Partial season at Butler University

In 2022, the Fever planned to play at least part of the season at Butler University's Hinkle Fieldhouse.

2022: Struggled Season and Top Draft Pick

In 2022, the Indiana Fever struggled and earned the top WNBA draft pick.

2023: Drafted Aliyah Boston

In 2023, the Fever chose Aliyah Boston from South Carolina with the number one pick in the WNBA draft, after another struggling season that earned them another top draft pick.

August 2024: Fever to Host 2025 WNBA All-Star Game

In August 2024, the WNBA announced that the Fever would host the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game and related events in July 2025 for the first time in franchise history.

October 27, 2024: Christie Sides Parted Ways

On October 27, 2024, the Fever announced that they had parted ways with head coach Christie Sides.

November 1, 2024: Stephanie White Returns as Head Coach

On November 1, 2024, the team announced that Stephanie White would return to the organization as head coach.

2024: Drafted Caitlin Clark

In 2024, amidst the increasing popularity of collegiate women's basketball, the Fever chose Iowa's Caitlin Clark first overall in the WNBA draft, leading to a surge of interest in the team and the WNBA in general.

2024: Dramatic Turnaround with Clark

In 2024, with Clark, the Fever had a dramatic turnaround, going 20–20 during the regular season. Clark averaged 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 8.4 assists per game and Fever home games drew an average of over 17,000 fans. The Fever also set virtually all of the WNBA television records.