INDIANAPOLIS — Sydney Colson, widely considered one of the funniest players in the WNBA, wasn’t fearful of any awkward moments throughout her stand-up comedy set Saturday during WNBA All-Star Weekend. If the Indiana Fever guard made a joke that didn’t land with the audience at the Everwise Amphitheater in downtown Indianapolis, she planned to give herself some grace.
If the crowd was tough on her, she planned to give herself some laughs, too.
Advertisement
“It’s more butterflies than nerves at the anticipation of something,” Colson told The Athletic a few days before her set. “But once I’m on the stage, (the reaction) is whatever, because I’m the kind of person that if people don’t laugh and I thought it was funny, I’ll still laugh anyway.”
Fortunately for Colson, when she took the stage for the most notable stand-up performance of her budding comedy career, there wasn’t much silence as she delivered her jokes. The crowd flowed with laughter as Colson displayed why her talent isn’t just limited to the basketball court.
Colson’s set was a part of Fever Fest, a joint venture between her Indiana team and Hartbeat, an entertainment company owned by comedian Kevin Hart. The comedy and music festival featured performances from rap artists Bia and The Kid LAROI, as well as big-time comedians Deon Cole, Leslie Jones and Cedric the Entertainer. Colson was the opening act, an opportunity that had been years in the making.
“At the beginning of 2020, during the pandemic, I told myself that … I would go and do stand-up somewhere,” said Colson, who performed her first set in Houston a few years ago. “I was kind of nervous about it, so anytime I’m nervous about something, I want to face it head-on. Because what’s the reason for that fear? I want to know.”
Advertisement
Since then, Colson, who said she’s spent years studying more accomplished comedians, has continued to ascend. Her big break came when she landed a comedy series alongside former teammate and fellow aspiring comedian Theresa Plaisance titled “The Syd + TP Show.” The 10-episode series premiered on FuboTV in September 2023.
Colson, 35, hopes that Saturday’s set at Fever Fest serves as another springboard toward her goal of becoming a full-time comedian and actress whenever she retires from pro basketball.
“My job is very public,” Colson said. “People are gonna see when you lost a game or you didn’t play well, but at the end of the day, basketball is just not that deep to me. I love it, and I work hard at it; I take it very seriously when I’m on the court. But we’re not solving the world’s problems with a basketball, so we should be allowed to laugh. And for me, I want to make as many people laugh as I can.”
Advertisement
Colson’s teammates, including two-time All-Star Caitlin Clark, tried to get her to practice her Fever Fest jokes on them. Clark even said she gave Colson a few “bits to work on,” while secretly hoping to get a preview of Colson’s set, but Colson wouldn’t budge. If they wanted to see her perform, they had to show up in person like everyone else.
Clark, who was voted a team captain in the All-Star Game, had a jam-packed schedule Saturday and was unable to make it. However, in Clark’s absence, Colson still had plenty of in-person support from the Fever, including teammate Sophie Cunningham, coach Stephanie White and COO/general manager Amber Cox.
They all laughed and cheered as Colson opened Fever Fest with a seven-minute performance while she shuffled through her cue cards. The laughter grew louder with each punchline. Colson, whom White jokingly called “the face of the league,” is one of the few WNBA players who is seemingly loved by fans, players and coaches of every franchise, likely because of her self-deprecating humor.
Colson received a round of applause from the audience and a congratulatory hug from Cole as she left the stage. However, for all the jokes she cracked at Fever Fest, her teammates have made it clear all season that Colson’s presence within the Fever franchise is no joke at all.
Advertisement
“She’s one of the main leaders inside of our locker room, if not the leader in our locker room,” Clark said. “She’s the constant voice, and she has that great balance of when things can be fun and loose and making jokes and keeping everything light. But also, she’s won before. She knows what it takes to win.”
Colson is a two-time WNBA champion, winning back-to-back titles during her three-year stint with the Las Vegas Aces, before joining the Fever this year during free agency. She also won a national championship at Texas A&M in 2011, the only national title in program history.
However, Colson is quick to point out that the peaks of her career wouldn’t have occurred without her perseverance in the valleys. She tore her right ACL before her sophomore season at Texas A&M in 2008, underwent surgery in June 2008 and played in the Aggies’ season opener against Mercer just 147 days later.
She was waived by the Connecticut Sun during her rookie season and spent three years playing overseas before returning to the WNBA, where she latched on for three years with the San Antonio Stars (now the Aces). She was out of the WNBA again in 2021, only to return and help the Aces raise two championship banners in 2022 and 2023.
Advertisement
Despite being viewed as a perpetual jokester, Colson said she wasn’t always upbeat throughout her trials. There were dark days and lonely hours. She views her comedic timing as a rare spiritual gift that has not only helped her along her journey but could help someone else along theirs, especially as she leans more into her “other craft” of stand-up comedy.
“You can have down moments. You can even be seasonally depressed,” Colson said. “Some people struggle with mood disorders or whatever it may be. So, I don’t take it lightly that this is the mental state that I was given and the heart that I was given. I always try to uplift myself and make fun of myself, and in return, other people can hopefully be uplifted by that, too.”
(Top photo of Sydney Colson: Courtesy of Indiana Fever)
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Advertisement
Indiana Fever, WNBA, Culture
2025 The Athletic Media Company
