Major front office changes are underway for the Indiana Fever following the conclusion of their 2026 WNBA season, with team president Kelly Krauskopf stepping down and chief operating officer and general manager Amber Cox departing the organization on Oct. 23.
Krauskopf, a noteworthy executive in the history of women’s basketball and one of the franchise’s founding architects, finalized her decision and informed organizational leadership before the conclusion of the regular season. Her departure concludes a nearly three decade-long chaper as a decorated, pioneering executive with Pacers Sports & Entertainment (PS&E), during which she built the Fever from an expansion team in 2000 into a WNBA champion and broke barriers across professional sports.
Under Krauskopf’s guidance as the franchise’s original president and general manager, Indiana made 13 postseason appearances, including a WNBA-record 12 consecutive playoff berths, three WNBA Finals appearances, and the 2012 WNBA Championship.
“When we started the Fever, Kelly saw what this franchise could become,” Pacers Sports & Entertainment owner Herb Simon said in a statement. “She built it, delivered a championship and came back when we needed her. She has played an extraordinary role in the growth of women’s basketball in Indianapolis, and our family is grateful for everything she’s given this organization. I’m proud to call her a friend.”
In 2018, Krauskopf made sports history by transitioning to the Indiana Pacers as assistant general manager, becoming the first woman in NBA history to hold an executive basketball management role. She spent six years in the Pacers’ front office helping guide basketball operations before returning to the Fever in 2024 as president of basketball and business operations. In her second stint, she oversaw a roster that reached the WNBA semifinals in 2025 and returned to the postseason in 2026.
“It has been an honor and a privilege to help build and steward the Indiana Fever with the support and trust of Herb Simon,” Krauskopf said in a press release. “I am deeply grateful for the opportunities, relationships, and shared accomplishments that have shaped my time with this organization. The Fever is poised for an exciting future, and I am proud to have helped lay the foundation for its continued growth and success.”
Before joining PS&E, Krauskopf served as the WNBA’s first director of basketball operations, helping establish the league’s foundational rules, scheduling and officiating framework before its 1997 debut. She also served on USA Basketball’s women’s national team selection committee across multiple Olympic cycles and helped spearhead the development of the Fever’s new $78 million, 108,000-square-foot sports performance center scheduled to open in March 2027.
Hours after Krauskopf’s announcement, the organization announced that Amber Cox, the Fever’s COO and general manager, was departing effective immediately.
Cox leaves the organization after two seasons, during which she helped guide the team through consecutive playoff appearances, including a run to the WNBA Semifinals in 2025, a franchise-record 28-win season in 2026 and the capture of the 2025 WNBA Commissioner’s Cup championship.
“Through her two seasons with the Fever, Amber has helped us navigate the seismic growth of both the WNBA and our franchise,” President and CEO of Pacers Sports & Entertainment Mel Raines said in a statement. “We’re grateful for her contributions and wish her the very best moving forward.”
The organization announced it will conduct a national search for the team’s next general manager as it enters an important offseason of leadership restructuring.
Contact multimedia and senior sports reporter Noral Parham at 317-762-7846. Follow him on X @3Noral. For more Fever coverage, visit indianapolisrecorder.com.
Noral Parham is the multimedia and senior sports reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder, one of the oldest Black publications in the country. Before joining the Recorder, Parham served as the community advocate at the MLK Center in Indianapolis and as a senior copywriter for an e-commerce and marketing firm in Denver. He is also a business owner.
