Basketball
6 August, 2025
Signed, sealed and already delivering: Bibby's season secure
Chloe Bibby will play out her debut WNBA season in Indiana Fever colours after securing a second, longer-term contract with the club.
Shortly before midnight on Friday Wimmera time, the former Warracknabeal basketballer announced the new signing via social media.
Only minutes earlier Indiana had posted its own message welcoming Bibby.
A statement from Fever headquarters in Indianapolis said: "The Indiana Fever have signed... Chloe Bibby to a rest-of-season contract.
"Bibby has played in two games for the Fever since joining via a seven-day contract on July 25.
"(She) has averaged 9.0 points per game, shooting 44.4 per cent from the field and 50.0 per cent from beyond the arc."
The Opals forward initially joined Fever the previous week, having headed straight back to the US after Australia to claim the gold medal at the 2025 Asia Cup in China.
Earlier this year she had two stints with Golden State Valkyries in San Francisco, playing in a pair of warm-ups while trialling in February and five regular-season games in June when several of the Valkyries' European players took a break from the WNBA to compete in the EuroBasket tournament.
Last month she was part of the first Australian women's team to win the Asia Cup.
She was in Shenzhen, China, competing in the event when approached by the Fever.
"I went from San Francisco to China, then I didn't get to go back to Australia," Bibby said.
"I was packed, so I came straight to America.
"It all happened pretty fast."
In her first game for the Fever she shot eight points and took two rebounds during 11 minutes on the court in Indiana's 93-78 victory over Chicago Sky on July 28.
Last Thursday, July 31, she played for 13 minutes, scoring 10 points and providing an assist, as Fever defeated Phoenix Mercury 107-101.
Post-signing, at the weekend she contributed six points and an assist in six minutes on Saturday as Fever enjoyed a 10-point win over Dallas Wings, and on Sunday her two rebounds and one assist helped to carry the visitors over the line in a nailbiter against Seattle Storm, 78-74.
Her consistently strong performances have caught the eye of the Fever's statistician, who noted: "Bibby is the first player since 2008 to hit multiple threes in each of her first three games with the franchise."
Having won 17 of their 29 matches so far this season (including the past four in a row with Bibby on board), as of Sunday afternoon in the US the Fever were sitting fifth overall in league standings and third in the eastern conference.
They have 15 slots remaining in the home-and-away fixture (including when they host Bibby's former side Golden State on September 1) before potentially entering the play-offs.
Bibby described her return to the WNBA as "really exciting", saying she was "super-grateful for this opportunity with the Fever".
Speaking to the media after a training session she said she was "just trying to take it all in (her) stride, one step at a time".
Bibby said she believed Indiana's fast-paced style suited her natural game and she looked forward to "bringing energy" and learning the "chemistry of the team".
She said although she had not played with any of the Indiana lineup before arriving in Indianapolis, she had found herself pitted against "almost all of them" at one time or another during her years as a college basketballer with two US universities, Mississippi State and Maryland, or in her WNBA debut for the Valkyries when they downed the Fever 88-77 in June.
In the US, enthusiasm for confirmation of her signing on Friday was immediate.
One sports commentator called her efforts to date "outstanding" and said the Fever had "made a no-brainer front-office decision".
"Amazing move Fever," a clearly delighted supporter wrote under the club's social media post.
"Told y'all you guys would love her. Been following her journey since training camp and she's been a bucket on each team. Extremely high IQ level, very professional and a great person, so great job Fever. You guys got a gem," another added.
The positive comments flowed freely:
- "Awesome! She's made a wonderful impact already."
- "Woohoo!!!!!!"
"Fever do listen to their fans."
- Heck yessssss."
- "Hats off to coaches and management."
- "I absolutely love watching her shoot the ball... smooth as silk."
- "I love this team. They are going places. She is going to be great."
- "YES!!! (insert fist pump)"
Indiana Fever's next game will be against Los Angeles Sparks tonight US time.
