WNBA insider expects Indiana Fever's championship push to be helped by early season schedule

Heading into the 2025 WNBA season, Caitlin Clark's Indiana Fever are top-five contenders to win the WNBA title. After a big year that saw the team return to the playoffs for the first time since 2016, the Fever's front office went to work bolstering their roster for the season ahead.

The way WNBA insider Rebecca Lobo sees things, the Fever are championship contenders along with the New York Liberty, the Las Vegas Aces and the Minnesota Lynx.

During an appearance on "SportsCenter" on Friday, she spoke about the upcoming season and why the Fever's early-season schedule could play to their advantage.

"After the moves that Indiana made in free agency, I think this is a team that's a championship contender," Lobo said. "They brought back their big three from a year ago. ... And then all of the pieces that they added in free agency. ... They have a much more favorable early schedule than they did a year ago."

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While the Fever's schedule early in the season is viewed as easier than last year, the team does notably have a busy schedule to start the regular season, with six games in 14 days.

Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White sets sights on hanging multiple banners in Gainbridge Fieldhouse

Throughout WNBA history, only one team has successfully pulled off a three-peat as well as a four-peat: the Houston Comets. The now-defunct squad won four straight championships from 1997-2000, establishing themselves as a dynasty during the late-90s.

Since then, we've seen teams like the Minnesota Lynx win four titles in seven years and the Las Vegas Aces go back-to-back in 2022 and 2023.

According to newly-appointed Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White, the team wants to follow in the footsteps of other dynasties and hang multiple championship banners in Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

She was quoted by the New York Times' Ben Pickman on Friday as saying:

“We want to be a team like the Houston Comets, like the Minnesota Lynx, that’s able to put multiple banners in our arena," White said. "We’re willing to do what it takes to position ourselves to do that.”

Between the growth of players like Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell, as well as the added experience and depth from players like DeWanna Bonner, Natasha Howard, Sophie Cunningham, Brianna Turner and Sydney Colson, the Indiana Fever have one of the most competitive rosters in the league.

With their season opener right around the corner, only time will tell how the 2025 season plays out.

About the author

Evan Bell is a journalist specializing in the NBA and NHL at Sportskeeda, whose love for the game stems from a childhood spent watching the Chicago Bulls. He has been there through their highs and lows, from the Jordan era to the exciting Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah years.

Evan finds the 82-game season and the intensity of playoff basketball exhilarating, and he also revels in the offseason drama. Phil Jackson stands out as his favorite coach, whom he admires for his composed leadership and success in managing dynamic personalities like Dennis Rodman.

To deliver top-quality content, Evan fact-checks information while diligently keeping up with the action year-round.

When he's not writing, Evan follows tennis and Greek football, and also plays basketball and tennis.

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Edited by Kim Daniel Rubinos