The Indiana Fever got the best news off the court when assistant coach Karima Christmas-Kelly announced the birth of her baby Wednesday! She shared a photograph on Instagram holding her newborn while rocking a Fever sweatshirt, and the caption said it all: “Kali 💜 Kelly Party of 4.” This awesome personal update comes during the WNBA’s FIBA World Cup break, and it adds a super happy chapter to Christmas-Kelly’s long history with the franchise.
Fever Legend Welcomes Newest Team Member
Karima Christmas-Kelly is a true legend for the Fever. She’s been away from the team on maternity leave, but her husband, Austin Kelly, who is also an Indiana assistant coach, has stayed with the squad and will be super important during this extended break. Christmas-Kelly spent ten seasons tearing it up in the WNBA after getting drafted in the second round back in 2011. She played for Indiana from 2012 through 2014, and get this: she was part of the franchise’s FIRST WNBA championship team in 2012! Talk about ties. After her playing days with Indiana, she balled out for the Tulsa Shock, Dallas Wings, and Minnesota Lynx before jumping into coaching. She returned to Indiana as an assistant coach in 2023 and stayed on staff even after Stephanie White took over as head coach.
Team Ready for Playoff Push Without Key Voices
Right now, the Fever are working with a different coaching setup during the World Cup break. Head coach Stephanie White is in Berlin, serving as an assistant coach for Team USA, where she’s working with Indiana stars Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston. With Christmas-Kelly still on maternity leave, it’s Austin Kelly and Briann January who are leading workouts and prep in Indianapolis. But don’t sleep on this team! Indiana entered the break firmly in the playoff race, thanks to some absolutely outstanding play. Kelsey Mitchell was an absolute firecracker, averaging 28.9 points in August and earning Eastern Conference Player of the Month honors. Caitlin Clark wasn’t far behind, dropping 24.4 points and dishing out 9.4 assists during that same stretch.
The WNBA schedule is set to roar back to life in the second half of September. This break gives the remaining Fever players a chance to recover physically and really fine-tune the details before that final playoff push. Christmas-Kelly’s eventual return will bring another crucial voice back to White’s staff, which will be huge. For now, though, basketball can definitely wait. The Kelly family just welcomed their newest member, and that’s the biggest win imaginable.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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