Indiana Fever superstar Kelsey Mitchell suffered a tremendous loss when her father died suddenly in March. Mitchell thus had her career best WNBA season while playing with a heavy heart, something she wasn't shy about expressing during the year.
Kelsey Mitchell after today’s Fever win: “To all the fathers out there, Happy Father’s Day. I’ve been fortunate enough to have a really great father in my life for the past 28 years, who passed recently. So to all the great fathers out there, keep doin y’all thing.” pic.twitter.com/LACNjj50Y5
— Matthew Byrne (@MatthewByrne1) June 16, 2024
Mitchell honored her dad in a message to the home crowd in Indianapolis on Father's Day and through an outfit she wore featuring his image six months after he passed. She continued to keep his memory alive by penning him a touching tribute in a Players' Tribune piece released Wednesday.
Kelsey Mitchell’s outfit dedicated to her dad who passed 6 months ago was so, so special 🤍 pic.twitter.com/IJPVUqwXNo
— Bri Lewerke (@brilewerke) September 16, 2024
Mitchell recounted all the extra attention that women's basketball received this past season, but also admitted how hard it was for her since it was the first year she played without her father there to support her. However, Kelsey also touched on the uncertainty surrounding her Fever future as well.
To my Pops, this is for you. ❤️@PlayersTribune https://t.co/3Wmex8z1Ur
— Kelsey Mitchell (@Kelz_Hoop) November 13, 2024
Mitchell will be a free agent for the first time in her career after spending her first seven seasons in Indiana and she clearly wants to make the most of the opportunity.
Mitchell wrote, "I’ll be honest, I don’t know what colors I’ll be wearing next year, which just makes me cherish this season and our group even more. I’ve never been through free agency, so I’m looking forward to the opportunity to explore that for the first time in my career and have a say in my future as a basketball player."
She also looked back on some of the less favorable things about the Fever's season in the spotlight in the piece. "I’ll be honest, the spectacle was unsettling sometimes. Some of the newer fans have been really hateful online to the incredible women in our league, and to me and our Fever players as well."
That while expressing she is proud to call Caitlin Clark a teammate and thanking those she dubbed real fans, both old and new.
Said fans had hoped Mitchell's appearance with Clark at a recent NBA game and the birthday wishes she received from the Fever's new GM were a positive omen about her future with the team.
The Fever have also made it clear keeping her together in the backcourt with Clark is the team's top priority in the offseason.
However, it it isn't certain what uniform Mitchell will take the floor in next season. Though it will certainly be a story to follow until her WNBA future is officially decided.
