It’s been an offseason full of reunions for the Indiana Fever.
First, Kelly Krauskopf returned to the franchise she originally ran from 2000-18 after six years working in the Pacers’ front office to serve as President of Basketball and Business Operations.
Then in November, Stephanie White returned for a second stint as Fever head coach, taking over the reins of a franchise she helped lead to the 2015 WNBA Finals and won a championship with in 2012 as an assistant coach.
This week was the latest Fever reunion, as Natasha Howard signed with Indiana in free agency, returning to the franchise that originally drafted her with the fifth overall pick out of Florida State in 2014.
Howard spent her first two seasons in Indiana, but has blossomed into one of the WNBA’s best players over the last decade. She has won three championships (2017 with Minnesota, 2018 and 2020 with Seattle), was the WNBA’s Most Improved Player in 2018 and Defensive Player of the Year in 2019, made two All-Star teams, and one All-WNBA team. She has played for five franchises and won at every stop.
Now, she’s back with the franchise that originally drafted her, signing on as veteran mentor for young Fever roster that features the last two WNBA Rookies of the Year in Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston and a two-time All-Star in Kelsey Mitchell.
Krauskopf called Howard’s return a “full-circle moment” on Tuesday during her introductory press conference on Salesforce Court at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
“When a player returns to a place that drafted them, that’s special,” Krauskopf said. “She chose us, because she could have gone anywhere. We’re thrilled. She fits seamlessly.”
Howard had options in free agency, but ultimately the Toledo native was drawn to the idea of coming back “home.”
“At the end of the day, the way Indiana came at me with everything they promised me…they sold me,” Howard said. “…I’m happy to be back where I started.”
In signing with Indiana, Howard also reunited with new Fever COO and general manager Amber Cox, who was with her that past two seasons in Dallas. Cox was impressed by Howard’s play on the court (she averaged 17.6 points per game in 2024, the second-highest scoring average of her career), but equally drawn to the impact Howard had on her teammates.
“Whether she was on the floor or not, she was mentoring young players,” Cox said. “She was giving direction, advice and was always selfless in everything that she did. I fell in love with her. I was so excited about the opportunity to bring her here.”
As the Fever headed into free agency, Krauskopf, Cox, and White identified two immediate priorities: re-signing Mitchell and bringing Howard back to Indiana.
On the court, Howard’s athleticism should make her a natural fit in Indiana’s high-powered offensive attack (“There’s a reason why her nickname is ‘Flash,'” Krauskopf quipped on Tuesday). She figures to be a beneficiary of playing alongside Clark, who broke the WNBA’s single-season assists record last season as a rookie.
“She spreads the floor by shooting,” Howard said of playing along side Clark. “She can dictate the floor as a point guard. She’s an amazing passer, so I can’t wait to run the floor and get those passes.”
But just as important to the Fever brass was Howard’s fit off the court. They see her as someone who can help mentor players like Clark and Boston and show them what it takes to be a champion.
It will be a stark role reversal from Howard’s first stint with the Fever, when she was a wide-eyed rookie playing behind and learning from a future Hall of Famer in Tamika Catchings.
Over the course of her career, Howard has played alongside a who’s who of WNBA legends, first as a young player learning how to win and more recently as a veteran willing to take younger stars under wing.
The Fever nearly won a WNBA championship in her sophomore season, coming up a game short in the 2015 WNBA Finals against Minnesota. That offseason, Howard was traded to the Lynx and won her first title there in 2017 as a role player on a star-studded roster that included Seimone Augustus, Maya Moore, Lindsay Whalen, and Sylvia Fowles.
Howard’s breakout came after being traded to Seattle in 2018, where she partnered with two more future Hall of Famers in Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart. Howard became a full-time starter with the Storm, winning Most Improved Player in 2018 and Defensive Player of the Year in 2019 while helping the Storm capture two WNBA titles.
Howard has continued to be a highly productive player in her most recent stops and also has had the chance to serve as mentor to some of the league’s young stars, first Sabrina Ionescu in New York from 2021-22 and then Arike Ogunbowale and Satou Sabally in Dallas from 2023-24.
“There’s no substitute for experience,” White said of adding Howard to the Fever roster. “We sat here in November and talked about that. We’ve got players and are getting players through free agency who have experience.
Now, Howard is hoping to help lead Indiana’s young core to a championship. When she toured the new Fever locker room earlier on Tuesday, she reflected on the “whole 360” experience of returning to the franchise that drafted her, noting she has “unfinished business” in the Circle City.
“We have the talent,” Howard said when asked about the Fever’s championship aspirations. “First of all, we have the people to actually do it. I’m happy to be a part of this and bring the leadership and the desire to show this young group what it takes to win a championship. I have three.
“My thing is to show them you can’t take (any) days off in practice. You’ve got to think how you practice is the way that you play…Just bringing that championship mentality to the locker room and to this team.”
According to White, Howard’s teammates are eager to listen and learn from her.
“When you have great vets in front of you that you can take from every day, whether it’s just observing or whether it’s listening – we have young, hungry players that want to be led, that want to know what it takes. They want the secret sauce.”
Over her decade-plus in the WNBA, Howard has learned firsthand the ingredients required for “the secret sauce.” Her new teammates can learn a lot from her career arc.
“I mean that resume, she checks every box,” White said. “A lot of people want to go from starting in this league as a rookie to winning championship and winning MVPs and winning all these things. She took every single step and has accomplished every single thing. And that’s really a credit to her and her work ethic and her desire to become elite.”
