Pacers Sports & Entertainment announced Friday, October 23, 2026, that Indiana Fever president Kelly Krauskopf is stepping down, closing a nearly three-decade run that began before the franchise’s first game. Krauskopf informed leadership of her decision before the end of the 2026 WNBA regular season, according to the team.
Pacers Sports & Entertainment announced Friday, October 23, 2026, that Indiana Fever president Kelly Krauskopf is stepping down, closing a nearly three-decade run that began before the franchise’s first game. Krauskopf informed leadership of her decision before the end of the 2026 WNBA regular season, according to the team.
What We Know / What We Don’t Know
What we know:
- Pacers Sports & Entertainment (PS&E), which operates the Fever and the Indiana Pacers, announced on Friday, October 23, 2026, that Krauskopf will step down as team president of the Indiana Fever.
- Krauskopf made her decision and informed the leadership team before the conclusion of the 2026 regular season, per the official announcement.
- She joined PS&E in 1999 as the franchise’s original president and general manager, ahead of the Fever’s inaugural 2000 season. Under her leadership the Fever made 13 postseason appearances — including a WNBA-record 12 straight — reached three WNBA Finals (2009, 2012, 2015), and won the 2012 championship.
- In 2018 she became the first woman in NBA history to hold an executive basketball management role, as assistant general manager of the Indiana Pacers. She returned to the Fever in 2024 as president of basketball and business operations.
- Owner Herb Simon said in a statement: “When we started the Fever, Kelly saw what this franchise could become. She built it, delivered a championship and came back when we needed her.”
- The Fever’s new $78 million sports performance center — developed under her leadership — is scheduled to open in March 2027.
What we don’t know:
- Who will succeed Krauskopf as team president; no successor has been named.
- Whether her departure is connected to the “simmering disquiet” The Athletic reported around the franchise — online and in-arena harassment issues, per the New York Post — or the status of head coach Stephanie White, whose future is being questioned.
- What Krauskopf plans next; she turns 65 next month, per Field Level Media.
Key Facts
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Announcement | Friday, October 23, 2026 |
| Team source | Pacers Sports & Entertainment official release |
| Role | President of basketball and business operations, Indiana Fever |
| Tenure | Nearly 30 years with PS&E (joined 1999) |
| Titles/Finals | 1 WNBA championship (2012); Finals appearances in 2009, 2012, 2015 |
| Historic first | First woman to hold an executive basketball management role in the NBA (Pacers assistant GM, 2018–2024) |
| Prior role | The WNBA’s first director of basketball operations (before the league’s 1997 launch) |
| Performance center | $78M facility opening March 2027 |
Background: A Founding Executive
Kelly Krauskopf’s career is intertwined with the WNBA itself. Before joining Pacers Sports & Entertainment, she served as the WNBA’s first director of basketball operations, helping establish the league’s foundational rules, scheduling and officiating policies ahead of its 1997 launch, per NBC Sports.
She joined PS&E in 1999 — a year before the Fever’s inaugural season in 2000 — as the franchise’s original president and general manager. What she built became one of the WNBA’s most consistent winners: 13 postseason appearances, a league-record 12 consecutive playoff runs, three trips to the WNBA Finals, and the franchise’s first championship in 2012.
In 2018, Krauskopf moved to the Indiana Pacers as assistant general manager, becoming the first woman in NBA history to hold an executive basketball management role. She spent six seasons with the Pacers before returning to the Fever in 2024 as president of basketball and business operations — in time to help steer the franchise through the Caitlin Clark era and the league’s explosive growth.
In her second tenure, the Fever reached the semifinals in 2025 and the first round of the playoffs in 2026, where they lost to the Las Vegas Aces, per NBC Sports and the New York Post.
The Official Statement
In a statement released Friday, Krauskopf said:
“It has been an honor and a privilege to help build and steward the Indiana Fever with the support and trust of Herb Simon. I am deeply grateful for the opportunities, relationships, and shared accomplishments that have shaped my time with this organization. The Fever is poised for an exciting future, and I am proud to have helped lay the foundation for its continued growth and success.”
Owner Herb Simon responded in kind:
“When we started the Fever, Kelly saw what this franchise could become. She built it, delivered a championship and came back when we needed her. She has played an extraordinary role in the growth of women’s basketball in Indianapolis, and our family is grateful for everything she’s given this organization. I’m proud to call her a friend.”
The Turbulent Backdrop
Krauskopf’s departure arrives during a stormy period for the franchise. The New York Post reports that the Fever organization is “under fire” over online and in-arena harassment of opposing teams and players, creating what The Athletic dubbed “a simmering disquiet among players” — and forcing the WNBA to address how it monitors what players face at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Some players have reportedly described a “diminished sense of security” when playing in Indianapolis, per the Post.
The turbulence isn’t limited to opposing teams. Fever star Kelsey Mitchell alluded to the issues in her exit interview after the Fever’s first-round loss to the Aces in the 2026 playoffs, the Post reported.
There is no confirmed link between Krauskopf’s decision and these issues. The official announcement says only that she made her decision and informed leadership before the end of the regular season — framing it as her choice, timed after a career milestone. Whether the franchise’s off-court problems influenced the timing is not something the announcement addresses, and this article will not speculate beyond that.
What is clear: change appears to be coming to Indianapolis. As Yardbarker put it, “dominos appear to be falling” — and many believe head coach Stephanie White could be next, though no official word on her status has been reported.
The Legacy: $78 Million and a Championship Culture
Krauskopf’s final major project is a physical one. She helped lead the development of the Fever’s new $78 million sports performance center, scheduled to open in March 2027, according to the official announcement and local coverage. The facility stands as the capstone of her second tenure — a statement that the franchise she helped found nearly three decades ago is investing like a flagship, not a startup.
Her personal milestones are equally historic. First director of basketball operations in WNBA history. First woman to hold an executive basketball management role in the NBA. Founder-era president of a franchise that produced a championship and a record streak of playoff appearances. She turns 65 next month, per Field Level Media — a natural inflection point for a career that has already had two acts.
Why It Matters
The WNBA is in the middle of the most consequential stretch in its history: rising attendance, rising ratings, rising franchise valuations, and a generation of stars drawing record attention. The Fever, with Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell, are at the center of that story — and therefore at the center of its pressures, including the fan-behavior issues now forcing league-level conversations about player safety.
Krauskopf leaving now means the franchise will navigate this moment under new leadership. The successor — unnamed so far — will inherit a playoff-caliber roster, a new performance center, and a fan environment the league itself is watching. That’s both the opportunity and the challenge.
For the league more broadly, the departure of one of its founding executives closes a chapter. Krauskopf helped write the WNBA’s foundational rules before its launch, then built one of its model franchises. Whoever follows her will work in a very different WNBA than the one she helped create.
What Happens Next
Three questions to watch: who PS&E names as the next Fever president; whether head coach Stephanie White remains; and how the league responds to the harassment and security concerns swirling around Gainbridge Fieldhouse. For now, Indianapolis says goodbye to the executive who built it.
Read our full reports on the same-day shake-up: Indiana Fever Fire General Manager Amber Cox After Two Seasons and Connor Hellebuyck Traded to the Devils: What the Blockbuster Deal Means for New Jersey and Winnipeg.
Primary sources:
- Pacers Sports & Entertainment official announcement (via 1075 The Fan): Kelly Krauskopf to Step Down as Indiana Fever Team President — official team release, October 23, 2026
Secondary sources:
- USA Today: Indiana Fever president Kelly Krauskopf steps down, ending era with WNBA team — independent confirmation, October 23, 2026
- NBC Sports: Kelly Krauskopf steps down as Indiana Fever president — independent confirmation, October 23, 2026
- New York Post: Fever team president resigns with franchise under fire for ‘simmering disquiet’ — franchise-backdrop reporting, October 23, 2026
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