Fever coach facing pressure during WNBA break

Christie Sides and Caitlin Clark have a complicated relationship

Caitlin Clark and Christie Sides have had their ups and downs in their first season working together in the WNBA. Clark, a superstar with the NCAA‘s Iowa Hawkeyes, was the top pick in the WNBA Draft in April – and despite a bumpy start to life in pro basketball, Clark started the league’s All-Star Game in Phoenix. She is likely to win the WNBA Rookie of the Year award at season’s end, and could even finish as the league’s leader in assists per game.

While Clark’s Indiana Fever are in a playoff position with 14 games remaining on their schedule, speculation continues to swirl as to the future of her head coach. Christie Sides has come under fire from fans numerous times this season for perceived strategic errors – and even Clark herself has expressed in-game frustration with the second-year coach. As Clark and Sides reconvene during the WNBA’s Olympic hiatus, fans are more intrigued than ever as a decisive stretch of games looms.

Video thumbnail

Clark and Sides have a sitdown

It’s back to work for Clark following some time away from the court. The Fever next play on Aug. 16 against the Phoenix Mercury, in a game that is likely to have direct playoff implications – and in practice footage this week, Indiana’s players have appeared re-energized and are raring to go as they seek a first postseason berth in eight years.

But a viral video of Clark and Sides chatting away from the action has sent Fever and WNBA fans into a bit of a frenzy, given that coach and player have not always appeared to be on the same page – especially when the Fever (now 11-15) began the season with 10 losses from 13 games.

One fan on X/Twitter simply wrote “Sides is not the one” even though the content of the conversation was not revealed. Another thought that Clark, spotting the reporter’s camera, wanted “to show how much she and Sides love each other.”

Other replies were in a similar vein – another user said that Sides was telling Clark not to ever listen to her, and still another asked why it “always” seemed like Sides was trying to justify her strategies to her star rookie.

Even though Indiana is still mired in a rebuild, expectations naturally shot through the roof once Clark arrived in town. Making the playoffs would be a huge boost for Sides and for the franchise’s future – but missing out could change the equation entirely.