Christie Sides’ First Post After Caitlin Clark’s Rookie of the Year Win Says It All

Caitlin Clark has officially secured the WNBA Rookie of the Year award on Thursday, following an incredible season with the Indiana Fever.

Hours after the announcement, Fever head coach Christie Sides took to social media to congratulate the rookie.

Sides posted a picture of her and Clark celebrating the moment WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert told the Fever guard she was awarded the Rookie of the Year.

The Fever coach then captioned the photo with a kind note to Clark, mentioning that she was proud of the rookie and that the young star certainly deserved her praise.

“THAT’S OUR ROTY!!! Super proud of you #22! — Well Deserved.” Sides said.

Sides is coaching in her second year with the Fever. In her first season as the head coach, Sides led Indiana to a 13-27 record. They made a massive jump in 2024, securing a 20-20 record, listed as the No. 6 seed in the WNBA standings.

The Fever coach helped lead Indiana back to the playoffs for the first time since 2016, but they fell short, getting swept by the Connecticut Sun in the first round.

Nevertheless, Sides will be paired with Clark for the next few years, so any playoff experience was bound to help the franchise’s future.

Clark finished her rookie season averaging 19.2 points, 8.4 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game. The first-year star led all rookies in points and assists.

She also notched a couple of rookie records in 2024, including the most assists in a rookie season with 337, the most points with 769 and the most three-pointers with 122.

Numbers like these helped Clark secure a spot on the WNBA All-Star roster, along with teammates Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston.