The WNBA just delivered some piping hot tea, and no one saw it coming! In a move that could best be described as “Wait, WHAT?”, the Indiana Fever have parted ways with head coach Christie Sides after she dragged the team from the depths of irrelevance to their first playoff appearance since 2016. But hey, apparently, a playoff berth isn’t enough in Indiana these days.
While the rest of us are still trying to pick our jaws off the floor, Hawkeye fans are already several steps ahead, daydreaming about a reunion that could shake the WNBA to its core: Lisa Bluder coaching the Fever and reuniting with her star disciple, Caitlin Clark. You know, just the casual return of an iconic coach who basically built Iowa women’s basketball—and oh yeah, took them to a national title game with Clark doing Clark things.
Bluder, who spent 24 glorious seasons coaching the Iowa Hawkeyes, is now happily retired, enjoying a quiet life filled with fewer buzzer-beaters and more wine tastings. But Hawkeye Nation isn’t letting her enjoy her peace for long. Ever since Sides got her pink slip, Iowa fans have been fanning the flames of a juicy conspiracy theory: Caitlin Clark is scheming to pull Bluder out of retirement to lead the Fever.
You read that right. According to Hawkeye Twitter (or X, or whatever Elon’s calling it these days), Clark was spotted back in Iowa City—on a “recruiting mission” to get Bluder to lace up her coaching shoes one more time.
One fan practically declared it done, tweeting, “Well, five WNBA openings left because Lisa Bluder’s already got that Fever gig locked up.” Another chimed in with a rallying cry: “Someone call Lisa Bluder!”
Oh, if only it were that simple, right?
While it’s fun to imagine Bluder and Clark reuniting to take the WNBA by storm—an actual superteam led by THE Caitlin Clark—the reality is a little messier. Bluder seems to be enjoying retirement, and there’s a tiny little detail that Fever GM Lin Dunn might be eyeing other candidates like Stephanie White. You know, someone who isn’t retired.
But hey, if Clark gives the “I want Bluder” signal, Indiana might just have to break out the retirement papers and a mountain of cash. After all, when your generational star wants something, you listen—especially when that star routinely shoots from the parking lot and makes it.
Until then, we’ll all just sit back, sip our coffee, and enjoy the delicious chaos of WNBA coaching rumors. One thing’s for sure: Lisa Bluder has moved from a quiet retirement to being the center of a very loud conversation. Whether she’ll trade in her peaceful mornings for Caitlin Clark assists on a Fever fast break is anyone’s guess, but man, wouldn’t it be fun to watch?