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Michael Voepel, ESPN Senior Writer
INDIANAPOLIS — Kelsey Mitchell was having one of the most successful years of her career as a professional basketball player, but now she’s dealing with one of the deepest losses.
On the court, that wasn’t the case, as the guard helped the Indiana Fever end its seven-season WNBA playoff drought. Mitchell, the WNBA’s second-overall pick in 2018, played for the Fever throughout their journey back to the franchise.
But no one here thinks she built her game, her strength, her perseverance. Her father, Mark Mitchell, a longtime high school and college basketball coach, died suddenly in March at age 56.
“He was my best friend, and we did everything together,” Mitchell told ESPN. “We lived through each other in a lot of ways. He was my father, but we could talk about everything. And it sucks. Oh my gosh, it sucks. You just, you know, wish you could go back.
“I try my best to remain emotionally whole, knowing and appreciating the huge role my father has played in my life. … It’s not always easy.”
Making things look easy is a trademark of Mitchell’s game and personality. She does it every time she takes her signature shot, a high-arcing left-handed 3-pointer. Every time she slashes to the basket and finishes with an acrobatic finish. She smiles on the court.
There wasn’t much of that on Sunday as the WNBA playoffs loomed for the Fever, who lost 93-69 in Game 1 of their best-of-three series against the No. 3-seeded Connecticut Sun. Mitchell had a team-high 21 points, but shot 2-of-10 from behind the 3-point line. She and the No. 6-seeded Fever will need to do better on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) to keep their season alive.
But for Mitchell, it was a year of both sorrow and triumph, and she knew that perseverance was key.
“She deserves every bit of (the praise) she gets and more,” Fever coach Kristi Sides said. “She keeps to herself and doesn’t let you know how she’s really feeling. She could be having a really bad day, and I don’t know. She’ll always tell you she’s fine.”
Mitchell’s balanced approach during that 20-win season was matched by a 2022 season in which the Fever went a franchise-worst 5-31. That year, former Indiana star Tamika Catchings resigned as general manager, the Fever had a midseason coaching change and had to play in a different stadium because their regular home, Gainbridge Fieldhouse, was undergoing renovations.
Meanwhile, A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces, who was drafted first overall ahead of Mitchell in 2018, praised Mitchell and noted the impact his play has had on the Fever.
“I remember our family kicking it together in the draft. It took her and Indiana a while. But seeing someone stick to the right path, and now seeing it pay off… I just smile. I’m so happy for her.”
Aja Wilson on Kelsey Mitchell
“The joy she has when she plays, the joy she has with other people, it’s contagious,” Wilson said. “I remember our family having fun together in the draft. It took a while for her and Indiana. But seeing someone who’s stuck the right way, it’s paying off now. … I just smile. I’m so happy for her. Even when she was playing in Indiana, I said, ‘Keep going, man!’ That’s who she is, and the world sees it.”
Mitchell didn’t seem to feel sorry for herself or lament how her draft position could have made a drastically different experience. Wilson won her third MVP award on Sunday, winning back-to-back league championships and earning WNBA Finals MVP honors.
The Aces won 26 games in the 2022 regular season, while the Fever has won a total of 36 games in Mitchell’s first five years in the WNBA.
The biggest compliment Mitchell gets is being nicknamed “Hooper,” meaning he’s a guy who gives his all to the game no matter how difficult the situation.
“My dad has been training me my whole life,” she said. “I’m a blueprint of what he taught me. It’s all me.”
Mark Mitchell played football at Eastern Kentucky, where he met his future wife Cheryl, who played basketball. With her three siblings, they were always a family that “had sports in our DNA,” Kelsey said. She grew up in Cincinnati, and loves the atmosphere and basketball history there.
Mitchell attended Ohio State University, where her twin sister Chelsea also played and where her father was an assistant coach under Kevin McGuff.
“Her dad was a great teacher of the game and really good at developing skills,” McGough told ESPN. “She was working on her skills since she could walk. It was beautiful to see how much her game grew under his tutelage.”
Mitchell came to Indiana during a long franchise downturn. Catchings retired as a player in 2016, and Indiana has not returned to the playoffs since this month. In four of Mitchell’s six seasons before 2024, Indiana won six or fewer games.
The team’s struggles have obscured Mitchell’s growth in the game. But last season, under new coach Said and No. 1 pick Aliyah Boston, Indiana won 13 games and Mitchell became an All-Star. With Kaitlyn Clark as the No. 1 pick this season, the Fever had the talent needed to be a playoff team.
Clarke set an NCAA record with 548 3-pointers for Iowa, scoring 3,951 points. Mitchell scored 3,402 points and 497 3-pointers for Ohio State. Both played for their hometown colleges and were three-time Big Ten Players of the Year. And after the Olympic break, Mitchell and Clarke became the most dynamic offensive backcourt in the WNBA, both averaging 19.2 PPG in the regular season.
“She’s someone I’ve tried to go to and listen to and ask for advice,” Clark said. “She has that, and that’s something that’s helped build our relationship. We both have each other’s best interests in mind, and it’s been really fun to play with her.”
Mitchell will be an unrestricted free agent after this season. It’s unclear what her future holds.
But looking back on how this season started — 1-8, Mitchell dealing with an ankle injury and a broken heart — it’s satisfying to see the Fever putting the pieces together and honoring her father’s favorite thing about himself: Kelsey kicking a ball.
“She’s one of the strongest people I’ve ever known or played with,” said Fever teammate Katie Lou Samuelson, who also competed with Mitchell in USA Basketball 3×3 events. “She’s full of life, a pure soul. We try to be there whenever we need her, but she’s been able to keep pushing.”
Mitchell visits her mother and family in Cincinnati, about 110 miles from Indianapolis by car, whenever she can, and she sometimes isolates herself by watching her favorite shows, like “Law and Order: SVU.”
Mitchell finds refuge in the hardwood and all the connective tissue that will keep him with his father forever. He won’t be here for the sold-out crowds this season, and the long-awaited return of love to Fever. But Mitchell says he’s confident he knows it’s happening.
“When the saddest moments come, I try to live in the moment and not run away. It’s healthy to express those feelings,” she said. “I don’t think I’ll ever get over it. The loss will always be with me. But my dad will always be with me.”
