Fever finish strong, look forward despite sweep

The big picture: Having a playoff-caliber squad led by a popular All-Star trio of Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell will likely play a role in the city's push to become the capital of women's sports by 2050.

• Indy hosting the WNBA All-Star Game in 2025 will give residents a first look at how local sports and civic leaders intend to put that plan in motion.

What they're saying: "I think in two seasons, we've made the right steps to go forward, and I'm excited for what the future holds," Boston said after the team's final game. "We're on the rise, and I think it's important to keep that as the focus."

By the numbers: The Fever got so hot in Indy the team set a new WNBA single-season home attendance record with 340,715 fans.

• The previous home attendance record of 250,565 was set by New York in 2001.

Between the lines: A dark spot on the year has been the racism, sexism, threats and other online abuse hurled at players and their supporters as the WNBA pulled in new audiences.

• Connecticut Sun All-Star Alyssa Thomas took aim at Fever fans for making racist comments during the playoff series and pleaded for the WNBA to do something.
• The league responded by issuing a statement condemning such activity.
• Clark weighed in Friday when asked about the situation, saying "those aren't fans. Those are trolls."
• "It's a real disservice to the people in our league, the organization, the players in the WNBA," Clark said.

The latest: The Fever's offseason began with changes in the front office as the team welcomed Kelly Krauskopf back as president of basketball and business operations.

• Krauskopf originally joined the Fever in 2000 and led the organization for 18 years, a tenure that included 13 playoff appearances and a WNBA title in 2012.
• In 2018, she became assistant general manager for the Pacers, breaking a barrier as the first woman to hold a leadership role in the NBA.

The other side: While Krauskopf is in, there is speculation among fans that NaLyssa Smith may be on her way out.

• In addition to removing the @indianafever tags from her social media bios and replacing them with @wnba, the third-year Fever forward shared a heartfelt message showing love to her team and frustration over how the season went.
• She ended by saying there was "so much negative but so much more positive," and hopes that her fans keep supporting her "regardless of anything that happens in my future."

• But Smith, who is under contract through the end of 2025, said her post was about showing appreciation, not saying goodbye.

Of note: Boston and Clark are locked in with contracts through 2026 and 2027, but the Fever will need to ink a new deal with Mitchell before 2025.

• The only other players without 2025 deals are Erica Wheeler and Temi Fagbenle.

What we're watching: Fans are waiting to see how many WNBA season awards the Fever will collect, including Clark's inevitable Rookie of the Year crowning.

• The Associated Press has named her rookie of the year, and the Athletic reported on Friday that sources say the WNBA is also giving Clark the top rookie title.
• So far, the only official WNBA year-end player awards have been the Las Vegas Aces' A'ja Wilson as MVP, the Connecticut Sun's DiJonai Carrington as most improved player, the Minnesota Lynx's Napheesa Collier as defensive player of the year.

Flashback: The 2024 season ended on Sept. 19. In 2023, when the regular season ended on Sept. 10, here is when each award was announced.

• Coach: Sept. 17
• Sixth Player: Sept. 18
• Most Improved Player: Sept. 21
• Defensive Player: Sept. 22
• Most Valuable Player: Sept. 26
• Rookie of the Year: Oct. 2

The bottom line: After proving doubters wrong in 2024, the Fever are going to need a bigger bandwagon in 2025.