INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Fever will have five days off later this month between their games on July 22 and July 28. All-Star weekend falls between those dates, with the All-Star game itself falling on July 25. That weekend ends up being a celebration, and the regular season pauses for all 15 teams.
Colloquially, that time has become known as the All-Star break — so much so that the WNBA itself lists July 23-37 as the All-Star break on its key dates page for the 2026 season. It’s a nice pause for everyone. Yet the Fever were just given a longer, unnamed breather in the middle of their season thanks to scheduling quirks.
The last time Indiana played was on June 27. They thumped the Los Angeles Sparks, improving to 11-8 overall. It’s now July 5 and the Fever are back in action, kicking off a road trip in Las Vegas against the Aces. In between, they had seven days to gather themselves and practice, a benefit handed to them via the schedule.
“Excited to practice,” head coach Stephanie White said Tuesday, the first day of three this week that the Fever hit the court for a tune-up session. “We haven’t had a lot of practice time since early June. So I think for us, addressing slippage, being able to really work fine-tuning some details, and being able to add some things.”
The WNBA had a brief period with three days off for every team early this week for the Commissioner’s Cup championship game — of course, the Aces and New York Liberty weren’t off as they were battling for the in-season title. But while that game gave everyone some time off, the Fever got especially lucky. On June 28, there were four games and none of them involved Indiana. Regular season action resumed on Thursday and there have been three nights of games since, all without the Fever.
They’ll have to make up for their lack of games at some point. Only the Sparks have played fewer games than the Fever to this point in the season. But a full week to practice gave Indiana an opportunity to get better, and they took advantage of it.
“I don’t remember the last time we had a practice to work on ourselves,” forward Lexie Hull said. Most of Indiana’s recent non-game days have been focused on their upcoming opponent and watching film. This week, they could improve their own operation.
“Now, we get a chance to improve the things we’ve been lacking on,” Hull added on Wednesday. “We spent a lot of time yesterday on defense. We’re spending a lot of time on specific actions we know we can improve on.”
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Slippage, White’s word from their first day of practice, is a key one. In June, her team finished eighth in defensive rating — a below average mark. Their rating itself, and ranking compared to the rest of the league, fell compared to May. That is, by definition, slippage.
Their offense improved last month. Caitlin Clark looked even better with a renewed focus. Raven Johnson kept ascending. A longer team meeting launched the Fever into a run of wins, and June did feature some highs.
But the defensive drop, combined with some concerning trends even during a winning streak, made practice time a need. And finally this week, the Fever got it.
“You can’t B.S. the time that you have,” star guard Kelsey Mitchell said. “I think this is time to really sharpen the iron of whatever we lack at as best as possible. I think we can’t take this time for granted.”
The Indiana Fever won their final game before going into this long break, which was important for morale heading into the time off. And speaking of team spirit, bonding was another focus for the group during this gap in their schedule.
That’s not something a team has time for during a normal portion of the schedule. But this wasn’t normal. On Tuesday, Fever players and coaches ventured into a new activity: Virtual reality.
“Some of us played Squid Games. Some of us shot zombies. It was a good time,” Hull shared. She was the winner of squid games, topping teammates Justine Pissott, Aliyah Boston and Monique Billings as well as assistant coach Briann January.
White, meanwhile, shot some zombies. She’s a self-described chicken and found the experience scary but fun. “It was all the things. It was a good time … Some people, I wouldn’t have expected to have been as terrified of the zombies as I was, and they were. Some people I wouldn’t have expected to be as good with weapons as they were.”
White wouldn’t name any of the Fever’s weapons experts. But getting to connect with one another in a different environment is a meaningful experience, and almost as valuable as practice time.
“I think it’s big. At times to just sit back and number one, gain perspective. And number two, remember the human element of everything we do. Remember to have some fun, to find some joy,” White said of team bonding during their week without games. “See people in different environments and different personalities … More than anything, just have a moment to relax, take a breath, and have some fun together.”
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It’s things like VR that make time without games more of a relief. It’s a time to exhale during an intense season. The Fever needed some serious on-court time, but keeping that time light was critical.
That approach also made the week a much-needed mental reset for some. “I needed it. I ain’t gonna lie, I needed it,” Mitchell said of that reset. “I’m getting older, so I take that time very seriously just to reset and figure out what I need.”
The goal for the week was to get the Indiana Fever back to being their best selves, both on an individual and team level. That took work on and off the court. The effectiveness of that time will be revealed Sunday night in Las Vegas. And the team will be without one of their stars for that game.
Caitlin Clark out with a back injury
Clark won’t play in Fever vs Aces on Sunday. She’s been dealing with back issues all season and left the team’s loss against the Mercury due to her back last Wednesday.
This week, she did individual work on Tuesday and Wednesday but didn’t practice with her teammates. Instead, she hit the court with player development coaches, medical staffers, and sports performance staff members.
That she was able to do something was important, and during Friday’s practice Clark was more involved. But she won’t play Sunday and instead hopes to return in the coming week.
“I will be out Sunday, but I’m feeling a lot better. Excited to get back into practice today. And then feeling really, really positive about getting back into one of the games at the back to back,” Clark said. The Fever play in Los Angeles on July 8, then in Phoenix on July 9. “Obviously, [it’s] difficult coming back in a back to back, so we’ll have to be cautious of that. But I feel a lot better and like I said, excited to get back into practice. And this week has been very helpful for my overall health.”
Count that as another benefit of having a week off — Clark could recover and miss fewer games.
Three All-Star starters for the Fever
In the middle of the week, the WNBA announced the All-Star starters for the 2026 All-Star game in Chicago. The Indiana Fever will have three — all of Clark, Mitchell and Aliyah Boston were named starters for the game.
“I think it’s well deserved,” wing Sophie Cunningham said. “I’m proud of them. It’s all very well deserved. They’re going to go out there and do their thing.”
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Slight changes to the coaching staff
The Fever announced that assistant coach Karima Christmas-Kelly is preparing for the birth of her second child, and her maternity leave will begin in a few weeks. Naturally, that will pull both Karima and her husband Austin, who is also Fever assistant coach, away from the team for a few moments.
In response to those expected absences, White changed up her coaching staff. Advance Scout and Video Coordinator Tully Bevilaqua is being promoted to interim assistant coach and long-time WNBA assistant Gary Kloppenburg, who has prior stints with the Fever, is stepping in as an interim team advisor.
“He doesn’t have a job. He’s retired, he’s in grandpa mode,” White joked of what made Kloppenburg the right fit. Then, she explained more seriously. White worked with Kloppenburg during her first stint as the head coach of the Fever, and many of his defensive teachings are still a part of what the team does today.
“His familiarity with us,” White said of what makes him a good fit. “For him to be able to come on board, if we get in one of these worst-case scenarios where both Karima and Austin are out, for him to be able to be a resource… I think it’s really good.”
The Indiana Fever, rejuvenated and with a bigger staff, will try to turn their productive week into wins starting tonight.
