Indiana Fever’s new GM, Kelly Krauskopf, has spoken out on her future plans for Caitlin Clark.
The Fever’s new president of basketball and business operations held her introductory press conference in her top post in the franchise. Krauskopf led the Fever from their formation in 2000 to winning the WNBA title in 2012 before she stepped aside in 2017.
After leaving the Fever, she took up an executive role with Pacers Gaming and later an assistant general manager position with the Indiana Pacers. But Krauskopf revealed her pride at returning back to the franchise she helped lay the foundations for.
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“Anytime you’re asked to return to a place that you helped build, you had a hand in building, it’s special,” Krauskopf said. “I mean, this is a seminal moment in women’s sports. It’s a big opportunity to be a part of this rising tide that we’re all experiencing.”
Krauskpof’s journey throughout her time in the WNBA has centered around unearthing the next generation of talent to not only improve the franchise but also the league and sport as a whole. One such success she will be working closely with is the WNBA’s Rookie of the Year – Caitlin Clark. During her press conference, Krauskopf touched on Clark as a source of inspiration for what the Fever can achieve.
“Caitlin Clark was 10 years old when we won our first championship,” she said. “It takes a generation sometimes to kind of get to that next level. And I would tell our players, ‘Look, we’re building this for someone else. We’re building this for someone’s 10-year-old daughter right now.’ Because that’s what you do. We wanted to just keep moving it forward, keep pushing it forward and paying it forward.”
Caitlin Clark’s future has been discussed by the Fever’s new GM (
NBAE via Getty Images)
Caitlin Clark won the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year
Krauskopf is set for a busy off-season with Kelsey Mitchell set to become a free agent, while the team have room to for a max contract in free agency. But she continued that attracting players to the team will be straightforward with Clark starring for the franchise.
“I would think that if you are a smart basketball player and you watch the way she plays, you would want to play with her,” she said. “She, much like Tyrese Halliburton, gets you the ball in places that you didn’t even know you were open because she passes to space. She finds openings and ways to free up other players.
“I look at just, really, how her and Kelsey work together and the efficiency of the offense because of the way that she plays the game and I would think that would be a big draw. I think it’s an easy picture to paint to free agents.”
Krauskopf’s first 18 years with Indiana set the benchmark for the team and the league as they set a record of making 12 straight WNBA Playoffs from 2005 through to 2016 – during that time, they made three Finals in 2009, 2012 and 2015 – lifting the franchise’s only title in 2012.
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