The Indiana Fever have signed veteran point guard Odyssey Sims to a hardship contract amidst a series of injuries plaguing the team. This decision has brought renewed attention to Sims' past comments about Fever's star player, Caitlin Clark.
The Fever's need for a hardship exception arose after season-ending injuries to guards Sydney Colson (torn ACL) and Aari McDonald (broken foot) during a game against the Phoenix Mercury on August 7. These injuries, combined with Caitlin Clark's existing groin injury, left the team critically short on available point guards. Clark has been sidelined since mid-July with a groin injury, and there is no firm timeline for her return.
An emergency hardship exception allows a WNBA team to immediately sign a player if the team has fewer than 10 available players. The player remains on the roster until the team has at least 10 players who are eligible to play. This is not the first time the Fever have used this exception this season. In early June, the Fever signed Aari McDonald under a hardship exception when Caitlin Clark was out with a quad injury and Sophie Cunningham and Sydney Colson were also injured. McDonald was later waived when the other players returned.
Odyssey Sims, a 33-year-old veteran, began the 2025 season with the Los Angeles Sparks, where she averaged 9.8 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in 12 appearances. She was waived by the Sparks on July 2. Throughout her WNBA career, Sims has played for several teams, including the Tulsa Shock, Dallas Wings, Minnesota Lynx, and Atlanta Dream. In 2019, while playing for the Lynx, Sims earned her first WNBA All-Star team selection and was named to the All-WNBA Second Team. Sims' hardship contract is initially for seven days, with the potential for the Fever to sign her to additional seven-day contracts, though a player can only sign three hardship contracts with the same team in a season, and hardship contracts cannot extend into the playoffs.
With the Fever currently holding an 18-14 record and sitting fifth in the WNBA standings, the addition of Sims is aimed to bolster the team's guard depth and maintain their competitiveness in the playoff race. Despite the injuries to key players, the Fever have continued to find success, as demonstrated by their recent victory over the Chicago Sky. Sims' experience and ability to contribute on both ends of the court could prove valuable as the Fever navigate their injury challenges and push for a strong playoff berth.
As Sims joins the Fever, her past opinions on Caitlin Clark have resurfaced online. While the exact nature of these comments is not detailed, the timing of their resurgence adds an interesting layer to Sims' arrival in Indiana. It remains to be seen how Sims and Clark will perform together on the court, but there is no evidence from the provided articles that there will be any issues.
