The Indiana Fever went far in the 2025 WNBA playoffs despite being riddled with injuries. They were missing Caitlin Clark, Sophie Cunningham, Sydney Colson, Aari McDonald and Chloe Bibby due to season-ending injuries, but they made it to the semifinals.
Indiana only lost to the eventual champions, the Las Vegas Aces, but not before pushing them to the brink and forcing a Game 5 in their best-of-five series.
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A big reason for the Fever’s postseason success was Kelsey Mitchell, who led the team in scoring in Clark’s absence. She averaged 20.2 points on 45.6% shooting during the regular season, establishing herself as an All-Star and a top-five MVP finalist.
During the playoffs, Mitchell put up 22.3 points on 42.8% shooting, 1.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.0 steal. Out of the eight postseason games played, she only scored fewer than 15 points once.
On Sunday, Mitchell shared a post reflecting on her season and how grief played a role in it. The 29-year-old guard lost her father, Mark Mitchell, in September last year.
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“Had to get to it different than everybody else,” Mitchell wrote. “Grief had me excited for a small piece of it… indifferent for majority of it. Charged it ALL to the game. Ain’t no life jacket come for me, word to Him. Pops blueprint kept me in survival mode… that survival made me.”
After seeing Mitchell’s post, her Fever teammates rallied behind her and sent sweet and heartfelt messages. Clark shared that she’s “lucky” to be her teammate and that she’s “proud” of her.
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Cunningham, for her part, also commented with a short but powerful message for the Fever star.
“everyone’s GOAT,” Cunningham wrote.
For what it’s worth, it’s not the first time that Cunningham has heaped praise on Mitchell after their WNBA season ended. In a recent episode of her “Show Me Something” podcast, she dropped the ultimate compliment for the veteran scorer.
Indiana Fever’s Aliyah Boston (7), Caitlin Clark (22) and Kelsey Mitchell (0) take a photo before the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game.Christine Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
“Kelsey is the most selfless, humble human you will ever ever meet,” Cunningham said. “And I think if we would have made it, if we would [have] won and she would have been healthy, she should have been MVP. I’m not taking away from A’ja [Wilson], but nobody, nobody in our entire league could stop Kelsey Mitchell this year. And I want to be her biggest fan because she is just, I’m not kidding, the best human that you could possibly ever be around.”
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Mitchell is a free agent this offseason, but the Fever have made it clear they are prioritizing bringing her back.
Related: Caitlin Clark Accepts Indiana Fever’s Tough Situation After WNBA Season
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Oct 14, 2025, where it first appeared in the WNBA section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
