With Caitlin Clark still out with right groin injury, the Fever have no healthy point guards on the roster right now.
Indiana Fever: Sydney Colson, Aari McDonald injured; Hardship free agent options
Sydney Colson and Aari McDonald were injured vs. Phoenix. Fever Insider Chloe Peterson and Brian Haenchen discuss where this leaves the Fever and explore hardship options.
- With Caitlin Clark still out with right groin injury, the Fever have no healthy point guards on the roster right now.
INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Fever suffered two devastating blows to their roster, as they announced Friday Sydney Colson and Aari McDonald will be out for the season. Colson tore her left ACL, while McDonald broke a bone in her foot.
Colson tore her left ACL, which was the fear when Colson went down with a non-contact left knee injury in the first quarter of Indiana’s 95-60 loss to Phoenix at PHX Arena. Colson jumped up for an offensive rebound, grabbed the ball, then landed awkwardly on her left leg. Her knee looked to bend inward, and she fell to the floor in immense pain in front of the Fever’s bench.
Coach Stephanie White called a timeout, and the Fever huddled around Colson, using towels to shield her from the crowd as trainers assessed her. She eventually was helped off the floor by trainer Todd Champlin and teammate Bri Turner, putting no weight on her left leg. She was then ruled out for the game with a left knee injury.
“It affects us emotionally, because nobody wants to see a teammate go down like that,” Stephanie White said following the game. “But also, on the floor, that’s another point guard, a primary ball handler, someone who is a big part of our rotation on both ends of the floor.”
Now, Colson will be out for the rest of the season and beyond. ACL tears typically take a year or longer to recover from, meaning Colson, 36, could also miss the 2026 season.
The instance McDonald broke a bone in her foot was not immediately clear, as she checked out of the game limping in the fourth quarter. She was checked out by a trainer on the sidelines, then limped back to the locker room and did not return.
Their absences for the rest of the season will be brutal from a depth perspective, as the Fever now currently have no healthy point guards.
Caitlin Clark has been out since July 15 with a right groin injury; she currently has no timetable for return and has not started practicing with the team, but she has started doing some running.
With all three of them out, Indiana will only have nine available players for Saturday’s game against Chicago; both Colson and McDonald need to miss as game before the Fever become eligible for hardship. The Fever are planning to sign a hardship player before Tuesday’s game against Dallas.
There are multiple guards available: Jaylyn Sherrod was recently released from the New York Liberty, and Zia Cooke was waived from the Mystics after getting traded from Seattle. Serena Sundell, Deja Kelly, and Aerial Powers are also unsigned.
Chloe Peterson is the Indiana Fever beat reporter for IndyStar. Reach her at [email protected] or follow her on X at @chloepeterson67. Get IndyStar’s Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter.
