Kelsey Mitchell admits she has to be ‘selfish’ with Fever future in doubt
Kelsey Mitchell has admitted she needs to be “selfish” when deciding her future with the Indiana Fever, with the star guard heading into unrestricted free agency for the first time.
Mitchell has spent all nine of her WNBA seasons in Indiana after being selected No. 2 overall in the 2018 Draft. However, the Fever cannot use the core designation on her again after doing so in each of the past two seasons.
The 30-year-old is coming off the best scoring season of her career, averaging 24.7 points per game while shooting 50.9% from the field and 45% from three-point range.
Kelsey Mitchell opens up on difficult Fever experience
Speaking after Indiana’s playoff elimination, Mitchell made it clear that winning and her own individual success will both factor into her decision.
“I think I have to be selfish. I think that’s where I am in my career, about what I probably need and what’s probably best for me,” Mitchell said.
She added that being with the Fever comes with “a lot of ups and downs” and that having good chemistry on and off the court will be important.
That relationship with Indiana has also become more complicated because of the attention surrounding Caitlin Clark. Mitchell explained that players sometimes face hostility simply because they play alongside the Fever superstar.
“I don’t think people understand how much we endure,” Mitchell added. “Like, if I showed y’all my DMs about the hate and all of the stuff that comes with being a professional athlete, but specifically being an Indiana Fever basketball player, it’s a lot that goes into that.”
Mitchell also admitted that “showing up every day to compete for fans that may or may not like you is hard”.
That comes as Fever general manager Amber Cox has made no secret of her desire to keep Mitchell in Indiana. Cox called her a “major priority” and said the organisation wants her to retire as a Fever player.
Mitchell’s season ended with 23 points in Indiana’s 94-83 Game 3 defeat to the Las Vegas Aces.
Free agency begins in late January 2027, giving both sides time to work out whether the franchise’s most important scorer wants to continue the next chapter of her career in Indiana.
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