During the Indiana Fever’s end-of-season press conference on Saturday, Kelsey Mitchell said that with the attention Caitlin Clark is getting, she and her teammates are getting a lot of criticism because they are on the same team as Clark.
The comments came back to Clark, who admitted in her season-ending press release Thursday that they had “upset” her.
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“You care so much about your teammates. You don’t want any of them to go through something like that,” Clark said.
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Kelsey Mitchell’s WNBA salary went from less than $60,000 to $1.4 million, but her press conference focused on the consequences of playing with Caitlin Clark. (Getty Images)
Clark added that the “microscope” on her has led to “a lot of really great things, and sometimes there can be negative aspects,” including racist rhetoric, which she condemned.
“It kind of enters into a larger discussion in mainstream sports about what people are going through… Every time I see something like that, it upsets me, makes me sad, really disappointed, because that’s not who I am, that’s not who I am,” Clark continued.
Despite their relationship slowing down, Clark made it clear that she “needs” Mitchell, a pending free agent, back with The Fever.
Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell (0) celebrates after scoring against the Las Vegas Aces during the second quarter of Game 5 of the second round of the 2025 WNBA Playoffs at Michelob Ultra Arena on September 30, 2025. (Stephen R. Sylvanie/Imagn Images)
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“She knows how much I love her. We’ve talked since the end of the season, and there’s no one I’d want to share the backcourt with other than her,” Clark said. “I think we had the best season of any backcourt in the WNBA, in the history of the league. I tell him a lot, ‘I feel like I have the best seat in the house every night. I can watch you do your thing and be right next to you and be on the other side of the ball with you.’
“I know this organization, we’re going to work hard to get her, we’re going to recruit her as hard as we can, every player that signed a contract is going to recruit her as hard as possible, we need her, we love her. I think more than anything, Kelsey is a really great person and I love being in the locker room with her. She’s just a good soul, and this organization and these fans have rallied around her, supported her more than anything. I hope she comes back. The arena is chanting “MVP” again for her. That’s definitely our goal, our No. 1 priority, hopefully for the rest of my career, I hope to play alongside her.
Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell discussed the challenges of playing alongside Caitlin Clark, but her $1.4 million salary is also part of WNBA history. (Getty Images)
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Mitchell averaged 24.7 points while shooting 45.0% from 3-point range. The Fever were eliminated from the playoffs in the first round against the defending champion Las Vegas Aces.
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