INDIANAPOLIS — Kelly Krauskopf always believed that women’s sports would finally have their moment. As she led the Indiana Fever from their formation in 2000 to winning a title in 2012 before stepping aside in 2017, she knew she was laying the foundation for something special to eventually happen.

Now, after seeing Caitlin Clark help make that belief a reality, she’s back to help the Fever ascend to the mountaintop again.

On Tuesday, the Fever formally introduced Krauskopf as the President of Basketball and Business Operations, returning to her role of leading the franchise.

“Anytime you’re asked to return to a place that you helped build, you had a hand in building, it’s special,” Krauskopf said. “I mean, this is a seminal moment in women’s sports. It’s a big opportunity to be a part of this rising tide that we’re all experiencing.”

Through the first 18 years of the franchise, Krauskopf helped make the Fever one of the WNBA’s benchmarks. They set a record by making the playoffs for 12 straight seasons from 2005 through 2016. During that span, they made the Finals three times — 2009, 2012, 2015 — and won the franchise’s only WNBA title in 2012.

But even as the Fever were routinely making trips to the postseason and competing for titles during those years, Krauskopf’s focus was as much on the future of the league and women’s sports as it was on the present.

“Caitlin Clark was 10 years old when we won our first championship,” Krauskopf said. “It takes a generation sometimes to kind of get to that next level. And I would tell our players, ‘Look, we’re building this for someone else. We’re building this for someone’s 10-year-old daughter right now.’ Because that’s what you do. We wanted to just keep moving it forward, keep pushing it forward and paying it forward.”

Eventually, the grueling nature of the job forced Krauskopf into a change in 2019 as she moved on to the Pacers as the assistant general manager, becoming the first woman in NBA history to hold such a role. As late as this summer, there was never an eye to return to the Fever.

However, Dr. Allison Barber, who took over as president of the Indiana Fever once Krauskopf left, announced in early September she’d be stepping down at season’s end. During a conversation late in the season, Pacers Sports & Entertainment CEO Mel Raines gauged Krauskopf’s interest in coming back to the franchise.

It wasn’t an easy decision, though. Krauskopf noted how tough the first 18 years were. But with women’s sports and, specifically, the WNBA in a different place than it was even five years ago, she returned to her role with the franchise.

Since she last led the Fever, they have exploded in popularity both locally and nationally, largely due to Caitlin Clark. Krauskopf recalled that even as recently as 10 years ago, people asked her what the Fever logo was. A lot has changed since then.

“I used to joke around with our media relations guy that I can’t wait for the day that people are just talking about women’s basketball. Just the game,” she said. “‘Did you see the game last night?’ And that excites me because I knew we were going to get there, it was going to happen, something was going to happen and I always had faith and was optimistic that it was going to happen.

“I just didn’t know if I was still going to be around it to see it. And that excites me.”

 Photo by Michael Hickey/NBAE via Getty Images

Krauskopf’s return isn’t the only change to the Fever front office. Lin Dunn, who took over as general manager in 2021, spoke of a three-year plan she presented to Pacers Sports and Entertainment when she was hired to help the Fever get out of the WNBA’s basement.

With her work done, she moved to a senior advisor role, making way for the hiring of Amber Cox as Chief Operating Officer and general manager. Last season, Cox served as the Chief Operating Officer for the Dallas Wings and spent five seasons prior to that as Vice President for Sports for the Connecticut Sun.

The moves are a signal of a Fever franchise reshaping its focus. After getting out of said basement, they became one of the stories of the season this year, earning a playoff berth with Clark earning Rookie of the Year honors while finishing fourth in MVP voting.

Now, the aim is to put the pieces around Clark to contend for a title. On Tuesday, Krauskopf noted some of those foundational players already exist in Clark, Aliyah Boston and, ideally, Kelsey Mitchell, who is set for free agency this offseason. She will be an unrestricted free agent, but the Fever still can core Mitchell, a similar salary cap mechanism to the NFL’s franchise tag.

Krauskopf also acknowledged the shortcomings of the Fever roster. While Mitchell’s veteran leadership this season was vital, she noted that she alone was not enough in that regard and that the team needed to add more veteran voices around her. She highlighted the team needs more experience and more size as well.

Fortunately, Krauskopf has experience building around a star. Tamika Catchings’s 15-year career in Indiana fits inside Krauskopf’s initial reign in the front office. The Fever were able to find consistent contributors year after year and will look to do the same now.

At the same time, Krauskopf’s time with the Pacers allowed her to look at how to build a team around a dynamic playmaker as well. Tyrese Haliburton led the Pacers to the Eastern Conference Finals last season and Krauskopf certainly sees similarities in his and Clark’s games.

“We want to play an almost identical to the way the Pacers are playing — or maybe they want play like we’re playing,” Krauskopf said. “Finding those right fits around a point guard like her is going make us awfully dangerous. I’m looking forward to that challenge because you’re looking for the right types of players that can play that style of basketball around her. It’s uncanny how similar they are.”

It’ll be an important offseason for the Fever for a number of reasons. As mentioned, Mitchell will be a free agent, but the team will also have room for a max contract in free agency, too. Plus, the league will have an expansion draft for the Golden State Valkyries in December.

With a player as talented as Clark, though, Krauskopf thinks the case makes itself to come to Indiana.

“I would think that if you are a smart basketball player and you watch the way she plays, you would want to play with her,” she said. “She, much like Tyrese Halliburton, gets you the ball in places that you didn’t even know you were open because she passes to space. She finds openings and ways to free up other players.

“I look at just, really, how her and Kelsey work together and the efficiency of the offense because of the way that she plays the game and I would think that would be a big draw. I think it’s an easy picture to paint to free agents.”

So much has changed for women’s sports, women’s basketball and the WNBA since Krauskopf last served in the Fever front office. Now, her challenge is making sure the results and accomplishments — including that WNBA title — from her last tenure remain the same.