Caitlin Clark showed her true colors as savage comment on Christie Sides overheard

Caitlin Clark appears thrilled to be playing under incoming Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White after the star guard was overheard complaining about Christie Sides’ gameplan.

Caitlin Clark didn’t mince words in her brutal assessment of Christie Sides’ gameplan while serving as head coach of the Indiana Fever.

Back in October, the Fever announced that they had parted ways with Sides on the heels of the 2024 campaign – during which they went 20-20 and reached the WNBA postseason for the first time in six years. Indiana was quickly ousted from the playoffs by the Sun, however, falling to Connecticut in the first round via a 2-0 sweep.

To replace Sides, the Fever brought in ex-Sun head coach Stephanie White, who over the last two seasons commanded Connecticut to a combined 55-25 record and back-to-back losses in the playoff semifinals. Prior to joining Indiana – where she spent a considerable amount of time both as a player and coach – the 2023 WNBA Coach of the Year had already made a lasting impression on Clark.

While speaking with TIME senior sports correspondent Sean Gregory for the magazine’s 2024 Athlete of the Year feature, Clark conceded that White’s gameplan with the Sun was far better than Sides’ scheme.

“When Stephanie White stopped by the shootaround that I was at, I mentioned to Stephanie, ‘Caitlin really was impressed with your gameplan, she told me earlier in the day'” Gregory said while appearing on ‘The Sports Media Podcast.’ “Caitlin said, ‘We never really had the best gameplans back.’”

According to Clark, Sides routinely drew up simple plays and expected her to take control in the game. “Like, here’s a ball screen, Caitlin. Figure it out,” she explained.

Caitlin Clark asserted that she did not have a hand in Christie Sides’ firing ( 
Image:
Getty Images)
The blunt assessment took Gregory by surprise, as he couldn’t believe that Clark was openly critiquing the work of her head coach. “I heard that and I was like, ‘wow.’ I’m sure Christie Sides doesn’t love hearing that,” he said.

Though Clark was not always the biggest fan of Sides’ gameplans, the 22-year-old asserted that she played no role in the coach’s firing. “I’m actually not the general manager of the team,” Clark sarcastically noted.

As for why the Fever decided to show Sides the door, president of basketball operations Kelly Krauskopf cited a desire to “remain bold” in the pursuit of a WNBA championship.