Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell saw their third season together with the Indiana Fever come to an end in the first round of the 2026 WNBA Playoffs, falling to A’ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces 2-1 after a 94-83 loss in Game 3. Now, the Fever will turn their attention to the 2027 offseason, looking to bolster the roster in hopes of making a deeper playoff run next season.
Since joining the WNBA in 2024, Clark has excelled on the court, averaging 20.2 points on 42.3% shooting, 4.8 rebounds and 8.4 assists per game through three seasons. And her impact has extended well beyond the court, bringing a new spotlight to the league while helping both the WNBA and Indiana set numerous viewership and attendance records.
But with the positive additions Clark has brought to the Fever and the WNBA come some negatives as well.
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On Saturday, Mitchell took part in her exit interview after the Fever’s season came to an end. And when asked about the attention surrounding Indiana in 2026, Mitchell admitted a problem with playing alongside someone as popular as Clark is the criticism her teammates receive whenever the team loses or they don’t play well.
“Yeah, it was tough,” Mitchell said. “I think the hardest part about being a Fever girl… the last couple years, I don’t think people understand how much we endure. If I showed y’all my DMs about the hate and all the stuff that comes with being a professional athlete, but specifically being an Indiana Fever basketball player, it’s a lot that goes into that. And those days are hard as hell, man, because we wake up every day giving our best…
“I think we as players endure a lot that people don’t really understand. Showing up every day to compete for fans that may or may not like you is hard. I don’t think people understand that. That having to show up for people who don’t look at you and have the star eyes when they see me.
“Playing with CC and having the eyes that she got, we get a lot of flack for just being on her team. And so I think that comes with a lot too. And I just think that people got to give us grace. I think this organization is unbelievable, but I think that when it comes to really trying to be yourself, it hasn’t always been easy. That’s all I’ll say.”
Mitchell will become an unrestricted free agent this offseason, also stating that she plans to be “selfish” when it comes to her free agency decision.
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