The Indiana Fever kicked off the season with swagger, energy and high expectations.
With a core trio of rookie sensation Caitlin Clark, sharpshooter Kelsey Mitchell and dominant center Aliyah Boston — backed by seasoned pros like Natasha Howard, DeWanna Bonner and Sophie Cunningham — the Fever looked ready to make a deep playoff run. In a state where basketball is a religion, a WNBA championship-caliber team was exactly what Indiana fans were hoping for.
But a string of untimely injuries has led to early losses and slowed the Fever’s momentum.
Now sitting at 2-4 (at the time of this article), the team is battling multiple setbacks. Clark is sidelined with a quad strain and won’t return until at least June 10. Sydney Colson (upper left leg) and Sophie Cunningham (right ankle) also exited a recent loss to the Connecticut Sun and could miss the next stretch. With these injuries piling up, the Fever may have as few as eight available players for their upcoming road matchups.
These absences make the Fever eligible for an emergency hardship exception, which allows WNBA teams with fewer than 10 healthy players to sign a replacement temporarily. However, these contracts are conditional — once the regular players are cleared to return, emergency signings must be released.
“Building depth is so critical in this league. The WNBA roster sizes are so much smaller,” Fever President Kelly Krauskopf said. “You have an 11-player roster, and when you lose three players like that, you have to act.”
Coach Stephanie White echoed that sentiment and emphasized the importance of filling gaps on both ends of the floor.
That’s where newly signed guard Aari McDonald comes in. A former All-American at Arizona and the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 draft, McDonald was surprisingly cut by the Los Angeles Sparks on the final day of training camp. The timing left her in limbo — until now.
Known as a true point guard and tenacious defender, McDonald is expected to bring energy, leadership, and much-needed stability. Her addition will also allow Mitchell and other guards to return to their more natural roles, which could help reestablish the team’s rhythm on both ends of the floor.
“I’m looking for a playmaker,” White said. “Someone who can help us on both ends of the court. Aari fits that mold.”
There’s more encouraging news: the MRIs for Colson and Cunningham revealed no long-term damage.
“I think we got as good of news as we could,” White told reporters. “Right now, it’s day-to-day for both of them. We’ll monitor how they progress in rehab.”
With the Indiana Pacers recently clinching a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals, basketball buzz is running high across the state. And though the Fever has stumbled out of the gate, fans haven’t lost faith.
A few quick wins — especially with McDonald’s help and Clark’s return on the horizon — could reignite the team’s spark and remind the league that Indiana’s not just back, it’s building.
Tasha Jones is an award-winning journalist, poet and cultural critic who explores language, liberation, identity, fashion, beauty and Blackness. A TEDx Fellow and the Reginald L. Jones Fellow at the Indianapolis Recorder, she holds an MFA and an MS, balancing sensory artistry with scholarly insight. She lives in Indiana with her children, Shalom and Messiah, and their fur baby, Duke.
Tasha Jones is a poet, writer, researcher, and educator whose work explores language as a tool for liberation and resistance. She hosts In the Beginning: The Spoken Word Podcast, the #1 spoken word podcast on Apple and Spotify. Tasha is also the Poems & Parables Literary Journal editor and is currently writing Pyramids. Plantations. Projects. Penitentiaries. You can follow her on social media: @iamtashajones, @itbspokenwordpod, and @poemsandparables.
