LAS VEGAS — Kelsey Mitchell never wants to celebrate too much.
She didn’t celebrate much after the Indiana Fever kept their season alive with a Game 2 win over the Dream on Tuesday. Or when they clinched a spot in the semifinals, upsetting the No. 3-seed Dream with a comeback Game 3.
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Not even when she dropped 34 points, a playoff career high, to help the No. 6 Fever set the tone against the No. 2 Las Vegas Aces with an 89-73 win in Game 1 of the WNBA semifinals.
And that’s because there’s always more to accomplish.
“You have to treat it with respect, respect where we are,” Mitchell said. “And I think the biggest thing about right now is just kind of like, just being focused on the next one. I currently focus on this (Game 1) for like a couple more hours, and then it’s like, you gotta turn to the next one, because they’re gonna come coming. You gotta be ready for whatever is thrown at you and be your best.”
Mitchell was the X factor in the Fever’s win, shocking the Aces on their home court. She was calm, cool, and collected in the first semifinal game of her career.
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But that’s just who Mitchell is as a player. She doesn’t pay attention to any of the outside noise or any individual accolades — like the fact she was a finalist for MVP for the first time in her career.
She’s the type of person that puts her head down and thinks about what’s most important: playing (and winning) basketball games.
“I think that as a competitor, like, you know, you want to win. You want to be your best to win,” Mitchell said. “… I just try to keep it about basketball. So I think what you guys see is just me trying to just be a kid in the playground.”
Insider: In her toughest time, Kelsey Mitchell leaned on her ‘love language’ — basketball
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In the past two years, Mitchell has been a part of a lot of winning. But it’s been a long road to get where she and the Fever are today.
Mitchell was drafted at No. 2 in 2018 to a team that was trying to find its footing after Tamika Catchings, their franchise player for 15 years, retired after the 2016 season. She played through six straight losing seasons, watching the WNBA Playoffs from afar as the Fever couldn’t find a rhythm.
She went through four coaches and countless teammates in those years, the Fever ever evolving as they tried to find their footing in a time of turmoil. Mitchell was the only constant in those six years, consistently working and believing in what the Fever were building.
Then, the Fever got the No.1 pick with Aliyah Boston. Another No. 1 with Caitlin Clark. The Fever started winning, making the playoffs in 2024 for the first time in Mitchell’s career.
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Now, with Clark limited to 13 games because of various injuries this season, Mitchell has become the star of one of the most formidable teams in the league. Her role has evolved as the Fever have worked through five season-ending injuries, including to the Fever’s top three point guards, but she’s always been the consistent playmaker.
“There have been multiple times this season where she’s put us on her back, and she’s carried us as we’ve gone through that,” Fever coach Stephanie White said. “She’s continued to lead and pour into everybody else and and you see days like today, where we get production from multiple people, that’s what it’s going to take for us to be successful. But Kelsey is definitely the head of the snake for us.”
Mitchell didn’t need to come back for the 2025 season. Her three-year rookie extension with the Fever expired following 2024, and while she was technically eligible to be cored, she could’ve left the franchise via trade if she wanted.
But as soon as White was hired in November 2024, they started building a relationship. They talked for hours on Whatsapp as Mitchell was playing in China, building an organic relationship both inside and outside of basketball.
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They talked about everything ranging from Mitchell’s potential future role on the team to how she was doing with the death of her father after he died in March 2024. It was a type of connection Mitchell hadn’t felt with her coach before, and something that gave her a newfound hope for her future on the Fever.
“Steph always cries on camera, but I’ve never had a coach, like, I cry off camera, because I really, never truly have the company, the culture, the organization that I have been surrounded by the last couple years,” Mitchell said. “I’ve never had that. I’ve never seen that. And so to feel valued and to feel like somebody’s pouring into me, it seeks out my value. It’s everything to me, because I’m a loyal person, and my loyalty is in my character. It’s something I truly value.”
Now, as a three-time All-Star and 2025 MVP finalist, Mitchell is playing some of the best basketball of her career behind a coaching staff and culture that is true to her.
“She’s just an amazing player,” Fever teammate Brianna Turner said. “I’m happy to play alongside her. I’m happy to cheer for her. I’m happy to just like, be in her space. She’s such a great teammate, such a phenomenal human person. I could not say enough great things about Kelsey Mitchell, like, everyone deserves a Kelsey Mitchell on their team.”
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Chloe Peterson is the Indiana Fever beat reporter for IndyStar. Reach her at capeterson@gannett.com or follow her on X at @chloepeterson67. Get IndyStar’s Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Kelsey Mitchell is Indiana Fever star, loves culture, feels valued
