Latest news with #OdysseySims
Daily Mail
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Indiana Fever take drastic action amid Caitlin Clark injury nightmare
The Indiana Fever do not have a timeline for Caitlin Clark 's return to the court amid her injury nightmare, and have opted to sign Odyssey Sims to a hardship contract of the rest of the season as a result. The drastic action was taken by the franchise after its compounding injury list, headlined by Clark being on the bench for the last month, and long periods during the season before then. Clark's groin ailment has kept her out of the lineup since July 15, while the Fever are still clinging to a playoff spot. Sims comes to Indiana after a roster spot opened due to other injuries on the team, which were covering for Clark's absence. Guards Aari McDonald and Sydney Colson are now for the season with a broken foot bone and a torn ACL respectively. Sims is a WNBA veteran, having started this season with the Los Angeles Sparks. She was let go by the team after a dozen games, despite scoring 9.8 points per contest. The Fever enter this week's games as the No 5 seed in the WNBA, with a logjam in the middle of the standings. Indiana is only 1.5 games behind the Phoenix Mercury for fourth place in the standings, while only 2.5 games ahead of the Los Angeles Sparks, who are the first team out of the playoff race. The Fever only have 12 regular-season games remaining, with Clark seemingly returning to the lineup sometime in the middle of that stretch. Clark has missed a total of 20 games with injury this season, including the Commissioner's Cup final, which does not count toward team records. The point guard's durability was seen as one of her greatest strengths heading into her sophomore WNBA season, having never missed a game in her four years at Iowa or in 2024 for the Fever.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Indiana Fever sign Odyssey Sims to hardship contract with three guards injured
The Indiana Fever signed guard Odyssey Sims to a hardship contract, the team announced on Sunday, Aug. 10. The Fever were in desperate need of guard help after losing both backup point guards – Aari McDonald and Sydney Colson – to season-ending injuries while All-Star Caitlin Clark continues to recover from a groin injury. The Fever are coming off a 92-70 win over the Chicago Sky on Aug. 9 despite playing with only nine players in that game. All-Star shooting guard Kelsey Mitchell served as the primary point guard, scoring 26 points with a season-high eight assists and just one turnover in the victory. Sims has averaged 11.2 points, 3.8 assists and 2.5 rebounds per game across her 11-year WNBA career. The former Baylor standout was the second overall pick in the 2014 WNBA Draft by the Tulsa Shock – now the Dallas Wings. She started the season with the Los Angeles Sparks but was waived on July 2. Indiana Fever injury updates Colson (ACL) and McDonald (broken foot) were officially ruled out for the rest of the season on Friday. Both players were injured and left the game against the Phoenix Mercury on Aug. 7. Sims is expected to serve as the Fever's starting point guard until Clark returns. Clark made an appearance on the "Bird's Eye View" podcast with Sue Bird and mentioned that she still doesn't have a timetable for a potential return. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Indiana Fever sign Odyssey Sims with injuries to Caitlin Clark, others
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Fever sign Odyssey Sims to hardship contract with Caitlin Clark, Sydney Colson, Aari McDonald out with injury
After losing several point guards to injury, the Indiana Fever are refilling its ranks. The Fever announced Sunday that they are signing veteran point guard Odyssey Sims to a hardship contract. The move comes after guards Sydney Colson and Aari McDonald suffered season-ending injuries in Indiana's loss to the Phoenix Mercury on Thursday. Colson, who went down in the first quarter of Thursday's game, torn her left ACL; McDonald broke a bone in her right foot, limping off the court in the fourth quarter. Additionally, the Fever's star point guard, Caitlin Clark, has been sidelined on and off this season with a groin injury. After playing in every game for her rookie season, Clark has missed 19 of 32 games so far this year. Sims, 33, has been playing on and off in the WNBA for more than a decade. Most recently, she played for Los Angeles Sparks, before being waived by the team in July. The Fever will be the sixth different WNBA team that Sims has played on. Sims was drafted No. 2 overall in the 2014 draft by the Tulsa Shock, which later became the Dallas Wings. Sims was also on the 2012 Baylor team that won the NCAA women's championship, winning that trophy alongside Atlanta Dream star Brittney Griner. Under WNBA rules, the team could not make any additional signings until Sunday, meaning that the Fever had to play in Saturday's game against the Chicago Sky without any real point guards on the court. Even with that depth gone, the team was able to easily handle the struggling Sky, winning 92-70. Kelsey Mitchell, the Fever's star shooting guard, led the Indiana with 26 points. The win moved the Fever to fifth place in the WNBA, with a 18-14 record. But without Clark, and with the team still plagued by additional injuries, Indiana's chances at a playoff run are looking a little more bleak. Hopefully, Sims will do her best to offer a reprieve to the Fever going forward.
Reuters
a day ago
- Sport
- Reuters
Fever sign G Odyssey Sims to hardship contract
August 10 - The Indiana Fever signed veteran guard Odyssey Sims to a hardship contract on Sunday. Indiana sought leave approval after losing guards Aari McDonald (right foot) and Sydney Colson (left ACL) for the season during Thursday's 95-60 loss to the Phoenix Mercury. Both players had to miss a game -- which they did Saturday -- before the Fever qualified to sign a replacement. In addition, another guard, star Caitlin Clark (right groin), has missed 10 consecutive games. The Fever had just nine available players -- and no point guards -- while beating the Chicago Sky 92-70 on Saturday. Sims, 33, was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2014 draft by the then-Tulsa Shock and has averaged 11.2 points, 3.8 assists and 2.5 rebounds in 304 games (208) starts over 11-plus seasons. She was with the Los Angeles Sparks at the outset of this season and averaged 9.8 points and 3.5 assists in 12 games (11 starts) before being released in early July. She was an All-Star in 2019 when she averaged 14.5 points and 5.4 assists in 34 games for the Minnesota Lynx. Sims played two seasons for the Shock before the franchise moved to Dallas for the 2016 season. She again played for Dallas in 2023-24. Sims also spent time with the Sparks (2017-18, 2024-25), Minnesota (2019-20, 2022), Atlanta (2021) and Connecticut (2022). The Fever (18-14) host the Dallas Wings on Tuesday. --Field Level Media
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Indiana Fever sign veteran guard Odyssey Sims to hardship contract
The Indiana Fever announced on Sunday that the team has signed veteran forward Odyssey Sims to a hardship contract following the season-ending injuries to Sydney Colson and Aari McDonald, opening up a roster spot through their qualified hardship waivers. Sims, a former No. 2 overall pick in the 2014 WNBA Draft, has averaged 11.2 points, 3.8 assists, and 2.5 rebounds per game throughout her 11-year WNBA career. During her winding WNBA journey, she has spent time with the Tulsa Shock (2014-15), Dallas Wings (2016, 2023-24), Los Angeles Sparks (2017-18, 2024-25), Minnesota Lynx (2019-20, 2022), Atlanta Dream (2021), and Connecticut Sun (2022). Her best season of her career so far was in the 2019 campaign with the Lynx, where she was named to her first WNBA All-Star team and the All-WNBA Second Team. During that season, Sims averaged 14.5 points on 41.5% from the field to go along with a career-high 5.4 assists, career-high 3.4 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and 0.1 blocks on 31:54 minutes per game through 34 contests. As a collegiate athlete, Sims played at Baylor University, where she was a part of the 2012 NCAA National Championship team and earned Big 12 Player of the Year and Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2014. As Sims spent the first part of the 2025 season with the Sparks, where she averaged 9.8 points per game and 3.5 assists per game in 11 games started, she should provide a decent scoring boost and fill the void at the point guard position, with Caitlin Clark still recovering from a right groin injury. As Sims is signed on a regular hardship contract, her status on the team is not necessarily tied to the 10-available player rule that governs emergency hardship contracts. This could create some roster "gymnastics" if certain additional moves are made, as the team technically has room for up to two hardship players with Colson and McDonald out for the season and Clark out now for more than three consecutive weeks. If Sims is the only hardship player signed, the team is not required to release her once Clark returns. However, if the Fever decides to sign another hardship player, they would need to release either Sims or the second hardship player upon Clark's return. Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions. Follow Scout on X: @SpringgateNews. This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Indiana Fever sign veteran guard Odyssey Sims to hardship contract
