Indiana Fever Guard Teases Team Breakup After Drama-Filled Season: ‘Have To Be Selfish’

Evan Guerra

Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell recently implied her time with the Midwest WNBA team may be coming to an end. During her exit interview on Saturday, October 3, Mitchell spoke with reporters about where her head is at as the upcoming free agency approaches. According to Mitchell, who played women’s basketball at The Ohio State University before being selected No. 2 overall in the 2018 WNBA Draft, she’s not afraid to do what’s best for her career when the time comes.

Kelsey Mitchell Appears To Tease The End Of Her Relationship With The Indiana Fever

Mitchell spoke with reporters shortly after A’ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces defeated the Fever in a win-or-go-home matchup on October 1st. It’s the second year in a row the Aces knocked the Fever out of the WNBA Playoffs. “That part sucks, man,” Mitchell said, according to SB Nation. “I thought we had put in a lot of work to be the last couple of teams standing. It was unfortunate. It sucked. It hurt to not really be the last four standing.”

As she continued, Mitchell discussed what her future in the league and with the Indiana Fever may look like, implying it could be time for her to go in a different direction. “I have to be selfish,” she said. “I think that’s where I am in my career about what I probably need and what’s probably best for me, so I have to be selfish in that room.”

Mitchell Says ‘It’s Too Early’ For Her To Decide What She’s Going To Do Right Now, But Will Prioritize Herself And Her Family

Off-season moves won’t occur until 2027, so Mitchell plans to use as much time as she can to decide what she wants as she approaches the next chapter of her career. “I think it’s about figuring out what I need, figuring out what my family needs,” she said. “Ultimately figuring out, I’m getting older, I’m not getting younger, unfortunately. But I’ve obviously built a Fever family here, so it’s like whatever conversation I have to have, I’ll have them.”

For now, though, Mitchell said it’s too early for her to share exactly what she’s going to do or when. However, she thanked Indiana and the Fever organization. “Everything I am is kind of instilled and everything I’ve grown to be is kind of the Fever and so it’s a lot to kind of hash out and figure out. But I guess TBD,” she said.

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Mitchell Gets Real About Playing For Fever Fans Who ‘May Or May Not Like You’

Kelsey Mitchell discusses all the noise surrounding the Indiana Fever this season: “Showing up every day to compete for fans that may or may not like you is hard…Playing with CC & having the eyes that she got, we get a lot of flack for just being on her team” https://t.co/j1KoWps8df

Elsewhere in the conversation, Mitchell also reflected on some of the off-court drama that comes with being an Indiana Fever player today. The 30-year-old admitted that showing up to compete for “fans that may or may not like you is hard.”

“I think having to show up for people that don’t look at you and have, you know, the star eyes when they see me. But playing with [Caitlin Clark] and having the eyes that she got, we get a lot of flak just for being on her team,” she continued.

“So I think that comes with a lot too, and I think that people gotta give us grace. I think that this organization is unbelievable, man, but I think that when it comes to really trying to be yourself, it hasn’t always been easy. That’s all I’ll say.”

Mitchell’s Comments About Fever Fans Come After A Dramatic Season

USA Basketball

Mitchell’s comments about the Fever’s fanbase come amid a dramatic season in which some Indiana supporters’ behavior has repeatedly drawn attention.

The team has been at the center of several high-profile moments involving alleged fan misconduct, adding another layer of scrutiny to a season already marked by intense interest surrounding the Fever and their players.

Against that backdrop, Mitchell’s remarks offer a glimpse into how those inside the league perceive Indiana fans’ behavior.

Indiana Fever Executive Pushes Back On Claim That Fans Are Uncontrollable

The Fever’s general manager, Amber Cox, addressed the claims against her team’s fanbase during her exit interview on October 3 and described the ongoing allegations as “attacks.”

“But here’s the fact,” she said, per The Blast. “We did not have one fan pointed out by a player who violated the WNBA code of conduct this season. Not one fan was removed from a game. We take this really seriously, and this is backed up by our security stats and the lived experiences of countless fans whom we host at every game.”

Regardless, several players across the league have mentioned their unfavorable experiences playing at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, including Dijonai Carrington and former Fever player Brianna Turner, who called Cox’s statement “unequivocally false.”

Turner added, “While it’s not all Indy fans, it’s certainly a trend. To say the attacks have ‘no basis in reality’ is disingenuous.”

The Indiana Fever Guard Teases Team Breakup After Drama-Filled Season: ‘Have To Be Selfish’ first appeared on The Blast