Kelsey Mitchell is having the best season of her nine-year WNBA career. The Indiana Fever guard enters Thursday’s matchup against the Las Vegas Aces averaging 24.0 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 30 games. It’s the best scoring average of her career and she ranks second in the league in scoring this season behind Las Vegas A’ja Wilson.
Mitchell is also coming off Eastern Conference Player of the Month honors after averaging 27.2 points in July and leading Indiana to an 8-2 record. She has been one of the league’s most efficient shooters all season, ranking fifth in the WNBA in three-point percentage (43.8%).
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Despite that resume, Mitchell was not selected to Team USA’s 12-player roster for the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup. The United States instead chose guards Caitlin Clark (Fever), Paige Bueckers (Dallas Wings), Chelsea Gray (Aces), Kelsey Plum (Phoenix Mercury), Jackie Young (Aces) and Rhyne Howard (Atlanta Dream).
The omission comes despite Mitchell’s sustained production throughout the season. She has helped the Fever to the fifth best record in the WNBA (19-11) and is one of the favorites to win the league MVP award.
The Fever guard also has prior experience with USA Basketball. She represented the United States at the 2021 FIBA 3x3 AmeriCup and later helped Team USA win the gold medal at the 2023 FIBA 3x3 AmeriCup in Puerto Rico.
Team USA will open the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup against China on Sept. 4, before facing Italy on Sept. 6 and Czechia on Sept. 7 in Group D. The knockout stage runs through Sept. 13 in Berlin, Germany. The tournament will also bring the WNBA season to a temporary halt, with the league observing its FIBA World Cup break from Aug. 31 through Sept. 16.
