The Fever\u2019s season started with championship dreams. Now they\u2019re battling just to keep players healthy enough to suit up. What should have been a celebration of their first playoff berth in nearly a decade has become a case study in surviving the unthinkable. Five season-ending injuries. Eighteen different players in uniform. A franchise record that nobody wanted to break.<\/p>\n
How Did the Indiana Fever Become the WNBA\u2019s Most Injured Team?<\/p>\n
ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo<\/a> put the Fever\u2019s injury crisis in stark perspective. Indiana stands alone as the only WNBA<\/a> team in the past three years to lose five players to season-ending injuries. The Los Angeles Sparks dealt with four such losses in 2023, but the Fever\u2019s total now represents a league high that no organization wants to claim.<\/p>\n The casualties tell the story of a season that went sideways fast. Caitlin Clark, Sophie Cunningham, Sydney Colson, and Aari McDonald all started multiple games before medical issues ended their campaigns. Forward Chloe Bibby\u00a0joined the list late in the year, pushing the devastating total to five.<\/p>\n In the last three years, the Indiana Fever are the only team to have five season- ending injuries. Four of the injured players started multiple games. (LA had four season-ending injuries in 2023.) \u2014 Rebecca Lobo (@RebeccaLobo) September 9, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n This unprecedented injury wave forced Indiana to scramble for solutions. Hardship contracts became routine. Emergency signings turned into lifelines. The roster turnover reached historic levels, with 18 different players suiting up throughout the season. That\u2019s the most in the WNBA, creating a revolving door that would challenge even the most experienced coaching staff.<\/p>\n Despite acknowledging the Fever exceeded expectations by reaching the playoffs, Lobo didn\u2019t sugarcoat their postseason outlook. The realistic ceiling might be a first-round upset victory rather than the deep playoff run many envisioned when the season began.<\/p>\n Can Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston Carry This Depleted Roster?<\/p>\n Clark\u2019s absence after just 13 games\u00a0hit hardest. Lingering soft-tissue and groin injuries robbed Indiana of its primary playmaker and forced everyone else to step up. The pressure fell squarely on Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston, who responded by having career-defining seasons.<\/p>\n Mitchell answered the call with authority. She averaged over 20 points per game while breaking the franchise\u2019s single-season scoring record. The veteran guard carried the offensive load night after night, proving she could be the go-to scorer this team desperately needed.<\/p>\n mooood when Kelsey Mitchell knocks down her fourth triple of the night \ud83d\ude24 pic.twitter.com\/OFFMlwNBiS<\/a><\/p>\n\n
Injury data: Lucas Seehafer (The IX)
Research help: @herhoopstats<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/m7lIz8BZiF<\/a><\/p>\n\n