On Wednesday, the Indiana Fever announced that guard Kelsey Mitchell had re-signed with the team in a supermax one-year deal. Securing the return of the All-Star was key for the franchise, and it turns out that Caitlin Clark was a huge reason for her to stay in Indiana.
After the announcement, the Fever shared a video on X in which Mitchell explained her reason to stay with the team she has spent all her seven seasons in the WNBA. “Indiana has been my second home since I went pro, so this is the only city I know,” Mitchell said in the video.
“To see you guys open your arms up to me … that was a big part of me coming back, because I got to meet great people. Then I met one of the greatest people in the world, Caitlin Clark, who just ran the basketball world. I think, together, we hope to make you guys proud,” she added.
Mitchell accepted the core qualifying offer made by Indiana, in which she will earn the supermax salary of $250,000. “Everything about Kelsey Mitchell is core, right?” Fever president Kelly Krauskopf said in a video posted to X.
"I'm a Fever girl again...Excited to be here, I'm excited to be back." a message from Kelsey Mitchell 🫶
“Her core values, her core basketball, everything about her is what we’re about. And so there was no way she was going anywhere else but the Indiana Fever. This was a great day for our franchise. It starts with her, and her legacy continues in an Indiana jersey,” she explained.
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Clark greeted Mitchell at Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Mitchell played a key role in one of the league’s strongest backcourts last season alongside 2024 No. 1 pick Clark, who was at Gainbridge Fieldhouse to welcome her on Wednesday morning.
Clark, along with a group of Pacers Sports & Entertainment employees, gathered at the airport to greet Mitchell and celebrate her new contract. “Did you do this?” Mitchell asked Clark as they embraced.
happy homecoming 🥰 a warm welcome for Kelsey Mitchell from Pacers Sports & Entertainment employees in the Ascension St. Vincent Entry Pavilion.
The two developed strong chemistry on the court, with Clark delivering crosscourt passes to Mitchell and orchestrating creative plays to navigate defenders. Both finished the season averaging 19.2 points, with Clark edging Mitchell by three total points over 40 games.