Indiana Fever’s latest free agency addition could bolster frontcourt

The Indiana Fever have signed Jillian Alleyne to a training camp deal, the team announced Monday morning.

Alleyne, a 6’3 center who enjoyed an illustrious career at Oregon, was drafted by the Phoenix Mercury in the second round in 2016. She briefly played on the Minnesota Lynx and Washington Mystics but has spent the bulk of her professional career overseas, including three seasons in Israel.

Most recently, she’s played in Turkey, where she’s averaged 18.6 points, 13.8 rebounds, 2.5 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game with Tarsus Belediyesi Mersin.

In Oregon, she was the PAC-12 Player of the Year in 2016 and the NCAA’s season rebounding leader in 2014. She has the third most rebounds and the second most double-doubles in NCAA Division I history.

But, she’s never gotten much of a run in the WNBA, appearing in just 7 games in her career. Now, at age 30, she could get another opportunity in the most competitive league in women’s basketball — and in a front of a team being watched by more people than any other in the sport.

The veteran forward will compete for a roster spot at the Indiana Fever’s training camp next month, which begins in late April.

Currently, the Fever have the following players under contract for 2025: Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell, Aliyah Boston, Natasha Howard, DeWanna Bonner, Sophie Cunningham, Lexie Hull, Damiris Dantas, Brianna Turner, Sydney Colson, and Jaelyn Brown.

The Fever don’t have any picks in the first round of the 2025 WNBA Draft, but they do have two second-round picks who will likely also compete for a roster spot at training camp, picks No. 19 and No. 20. Alleyne will likely compete for the final roster spots with Brown, and the incoming draft picks, as well as anyone else the Fever sign in the coming weeks. WNBA rosters can include a maximum of 12 players, though the Fever’s cap situation could limit them to 11.

Alleyne has the potential to be a formidable post player and provide added depth behind Aliyah Boston and Natasha Howard. The back-up big role will also be played by Brianna Turner, who has an impressive defensive resume and hails from a tenure with the Chicago Sky. A training camp contract is no guarantee of a roster spot on the Fever, but it’s a big first step for a player who has long been out of the league.

If Alleyne can translate her elite play from Turkey to training camp in Indianapolis, she could be the latest offseason acquisition to bolster the team’s frontcourt.