Two days went by before the team held exit interviews, and pride became perhaps the only recurring topic on an otherwise largely themeless day. Howard, one of the six players who spoke on Thursday, used the word “proud” three times in her first answer to a question. Later, she was asked what specifically she was so proud of when it came to the season.
Because we’ve been through so much since the beginning of the season. [Caitlin Clark] went down… [Sydney Colson] went down, [Sophie Cunningham] went down… But we all stood together, we fought together, and none of us ever took anything for granted,” Howard said. “At the end of the day, we’re all just proud of each other and what we did collectively and individually… We’re going to always say that we’re proud of each other because we put in so much work to stay together, to overcome so much negativity through social media, through a lot of people… I’m just super, super proud of how we handled everything that was coming our way.”
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In the end, the Indiana Fever were five minutes from a trip to the WNBA Finals despite several key injuries. Their season ended with Clark, Kelsey Mitchell, and Aliyah Boston (fouled out) on the bench, but the rest of the roster was able to push Las Vegas to the bitter end.
That’s a testament to the style, culture, and chemistry the team was able to build this season. Head coach Stephanie White built something that can be sustainable long-term, and with better health in future seasons the team will be a force.
Their roster might change, especially with how many players ended the season on hardship contracts. They can’t all come back. But the core is strong, the up-tempo and connected way of playing works, and the infrastructure got off to a strong start in a new era.
“[This season] revealed the kind of character that we have. The toughness, the relentless spirit, the flexibility, the versatility and coachability, honestly,” White said. “And I think laying the foundation of number one, expectations and number two, you know, what a healthy working relationship looks like because all teams aren’t the same for our core group, I think is really important. And then learning what it takes on a daily basis to put yourself in positions for success.”
Usually, exit interview day is about a combination of reflection and projection. Indiana had some of that, with pride and free agency being central questions — though nobody knows what the league and offseason will look like with CBA uncertainty. But the Fever’s exit interview day was about so many more things than the typical team. It made for quite a noteworthy end to the season.
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Clark and Cunningham talk WNBA leadership
Exit interview day was the first time that Clark or Cunningham had spoken with reporters in a while due to their injuries. That gave both of them a chance to discuss WNBA leadership, which has become a front-of-mind issue for many around the league after comments made by Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier earlier this week.
Cunningham spoke first, and she joked when sitting down that she was going to be good, or less contentious today. That didn’t last long as she was asked why she commented “I’ve got a lot on my mind,” while exiting the arena after Game 5.
“I’m just tired of our league. They need to step up and be better. Our leadership from top to bottom needs to be held accountable,” Cunningham said. “I think that there are a lot of people in a position of power in the WNBA who might be really great business people, but they don’t know shit about basketball, and that’s got to change.”
Cunningham went on to specifically comment on the poor state, to her, of the league’s officiating and lack of changes made in that department. She is hoping that there can be more of a balance between fun and physical basketball. One of Cunningham’s hopes is that former players with experience can move into leadership roles.
Her complaints when it comes to leadership went beyond just refereeing. “I think there’s so much else, especially, when it comes to the CBA, that our leadership on that side is just very poor. Very, very poor. Napheesa hit it right on the head,” Cunningham said. “I don’t think I really need to go into detail. But that’s just coming from one player, and that’s probably 1% of what she knows. Right? So just imagine what the whole league really knows [about] what’s going on behind the scenes.”
The seven-year pro later said that a lockout would be a dumb basketball decision, business wise, and added that players, in her eyes, are not going to play until they are given what they deserve.
Clark, meanwhile, was mentioned directly in Collier’s comments. WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert denied that she made such comments during her WNBA Finals media availability on Friday, but Clark fielded questions prior to that response.
“This is straight up the most important moment in this league’s history,” she began. “I think the points [Collier] made were very valid,” Clark added later, while telling reporters that she hadn’t heard the stories Collier told prior to them being made public.
When asked more specifically about great leadership and what it would look like at the league level, Clark said “It is all about relationships, and that’s the truth. I know that’s really hard to say in professional sports, but whether it’s a relationship with your front office, whether it’s a relationship with the Commissioner of the league, whether it’s a relationship with your teammates, that’s the most important thing in leadership.”
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Clark details her season-ending injury
Among other important items Clark discussed during her exit interview was her health. She hasn’t played since prior to the All-Star break with a groin injury.
That was, at least, the initial concern. In August, a league source confirmed to The IX that Clark suffered a bone bruise in her left ankle while the Indiana Fever were in Phoenix. Clark still worked hard to return but ran out of time.
“My ankle kind of didn’t allow me to really see where my groin was at. It was, I think, my second fullcourt workout back when we were in Phoenix, but I just went to make a move and unfortunately my ankle, like, completely rolled all the way forward in probably one of the worst sprains I’ve dealt with,” Clark said. It was a frustrating moment, but the star guard tried to stay positive.
She had full intentions of returning and approached every day like she would, but between the two injuries it just wasn’t possible. Clark’s next formal five-on-five sessions may come with USA Basketball, who has camps coming next March that Clark said is her top priority.
Mitchell shares details on the scary end to her season
Mitchell fell to the floor with a scary injury during Game 5 against the Aces, and for a moment it appeared she was going to be stretchered out of the arena. She refused the stretcher — “Walking out of here on a stretcher is just not gonna happen. Not doing that,” Mitchell joked — and she was later taken to the hospital for fluids. It was originally thought to be serious cramping.
Mitchell later revealed that she suffered rhabdomyolysis, a serious condition during which muscles break down. She couldn’t feel her legs at the time but is now recovering and walking.
“I think it just happened [due] to over-usage,” Mitchell said. “I never played that long [into a season].”
Eventually, laying on the hardwood Mitchell gained feeling again in her toes. That made her feel better. Her doctors described the injury as a once-in-a-lifetime event, and she now needs to rest and reset. When asked more about overuse, Mitchell first came in with a joke. “I don’t know. I’m blaming Steph for practicing,” she said with a small laugh. Then, she got serious. “You’re a professional. You do what you have to do. You commit to the work. There’s no, you know, complaining about it. I think it’s just kind of what happened that way.”
It was a scary situation, but Mitchell seems to be okay now. She has committed to play in Unrivaled this offseason, should that be possible.
A free-for-all ahead in WNBA offseason
Mitchell, Cunningham, and Lexie Hull are all free agents this offseason and spoke about their decision during Indiana Fever exit interviews. Their answers are important, but it’s more critical to explain that it’s impossible to know what the offseason might even look like in the WNBA.
There’s going to be an expansion draft with details that still need to be finalized. A new CBA has to be agreed to. Until that happens and the rules are in place for every team in free agency, it’s difficult to know what will and won’t be possible for teams and players.
“I think we control the controllables. You start prepping for the college season, for what’s going on internationally, planning out our scouting both domestically and internationally. We are talking to all the players today, obviously focused on development plans for them, finding out what their needs are, and how we can support them,” Fever GM Amber Cox said of what the offseason will look like with so much uncertainty. “So really just focus on what we can control, and as things roll out, we’ll be ready to go. That’s the biggest thing. Plan as much as you can.”
Cox later said that the priority in free agency will be Mitchell and making sure she remains in a Fever jersey. That context is all important and necessary. Here’s what each player shared about their future and the chance they return to the Indiana Fever.
Mitchell: “I hope we’ve got a league. So I hope that when it’s all said and done we can have a season, period, for all the girls, for every person that has aspirations to be in the league and be the W. I think for one, that’s the start, being on the same page with that and just making sure we have a league to start. No matter what happens, having a league is kind of big for us. I think individually for me, I’m gonna take my time, figure out what my family needs. Losing a parent is a big shift. And so I take into consideration how my mom feels now. I take into consideration how my siblings and my immediate family [feel]. My dad’s mom is still alive, my grandmother, and so that’s big for me. Family is big for me. And so I think talking to them and figuring out what’s best for us and for what I need internally is always going to be important. And I think that takes time. But I will say to the Indiana Fever, eight years, it’s gonna be a lot to talk about because I have so much love and so much (admiration) for this place. And I think when the time is right, the great conversations will be had. But Indy is my second family, and everything I’ve been through the last eight years, I don’t think Indianapolis, Indiana, I don’t think there’s any other place that was greater for me, the growth and all that. So I think the right conversations will be had, and when it’s time, I guess we’ll all know.”
Cunningham: “I have loved being here, and I don’t think that’s news to anybody. I think that just being back in the Midwest and being around girls who you truly do love, like I’ve been in the league for seven years and I’ve never been a part of a team like this. And so when you’ve been through this type of season together, when you’re invested in each other’s lives outside of basketball, of course you want to come back. I’m definitely going to be entertaining other teams, other offers, but my hope is that I’ve had a great time here and I’d like to continue that. But I also think with the new CBA, there’s a lot on the line. And so I might be blunt, but I can’t just not look at other opportunities.”
Hull: “I’m a restricted free agent, so I think that changes things a little bit. But I’ve loved my years here in Indiana. So obviously, with a lot of uncertainty, you don’t know what’s to come. But I built a life here and I love this franchise. I love the people, I love the fans. So we’ll see what comes.”
The Indiana Fever finished the season 24-20 before defeating the Atlanta Dream in round one of the WNBA playoffs and dropping a five-game set against the Aces in the semifinals.
