Indiana Fever star Kelsey Mitchell has developed a reputation as the fastest player in the WNBA today. Her teammate Aliyah Boston even went as far as to say recently that she is the "fastest guard" she has ever seen in her life.
Mitchell, who was averaging 22.9 points on 48.8% shooting entering Saturday's game against the New York Liberty, has certainly earned the respect and admiration of not only her teammates but also her peers and WNBA legends.
In fact, WNBA icon Lisa Leslie had high praise for Mitchell while speaking about the Fever star during CBS's broadcast ahead of Indiana's showdown with New York.
Leslie even revealed the nickname she has for Mitchell, which stemmed from her incredible speed.
Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
"Kelsey, I call 'The Missile,'" Leslie stated. "Why? Because she's the fastest player in the WNBA, with or without the ball. When she gets downhill, she moves so well without the ball."
Leslie pointed out how Mitchell has thrived even alongside another ball-dominant player in Caitlin Clark, noting how Mitchell has utilized her speed to make the most out of Clark's elite passing.
"When Caitlin has it, Caitlin will dribble towards her [Mitchell], [then] she cuts back door. One of those passes [is] always getting rewarded," Leslie added.
For what it's worth, Mitchell demonstrated against the Liberty how dangerous her speed can be. She finished with 33 points on 10-of-14 shooting to lead the Fever to a 108-88 blowout win.
In particular, Mitchell outscored the Liberty 14-12 in the third quarter, with eight of those points coming in transition, per ESPN Insights. One of her highlight plays came after she stole the ball halfway through the third quarter and blew past three defenders for an and-1 play.
Sure enough, Leslie's "Missile" nickname for Mitchell seems perfect.
