Editor’s Be aware: This story is a part of a sequence from SB Nation profiling the 2025 WNBA All-Star groups. At present, let’s get to know Kelsey Mitchell.
Corteva Coliseum is a novel however excellent encapsulation of Indiana.
It’s an enviornment positioned within the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis that was recognized for years because the Indiana Farmers Coliseum, which appears like a joke that’s nearly somewhat too on the nostril. It’s an enviornment that sits simply a few hundred toes away from the Indiana Farm Bureau Fall Creek Pavilion, which doubles as a swine barn through the state honest every August.
It’s an enviornment that, whereas able to internet hosting basketball video games, hardly appears like a basketball enviornment.
However in 2022, it hosted half of the Indiana Fever’s dwelling video games. Maybe fittingly, that yr represents a low level for the franchise.
The Fever completed the yr with a 5-31 document, the fewest wins in franchise historical past. After beating the Sky on June 19, they didn’t win once more the remainder of the yr, shedding their closing 18 video games. They ranked final within the league in attendance, bottoming out at simply 960 followers of their sixth sport of the season.
So whereas the Indiana Fever might now be the preferred staff within the league with Kelsey Mitchell as one of many faces of the franchise, it’s been fairly a journey for her to get up to now, and he or she has a novel perspective on the change and deep gratitude for it.
She’s one in all solely two holdovers on the present roster that was a part of that 2022 season, with Lexie Hull being the opposite. Whereas Hull was going by means of a rookie season of being out and in of the rotation and enjoying simply 12.8 minutes per evening, Mitchell led the staff in minutes, factors, assists and steals.
“You needed to be right here to expertise it, and I’m glad lots of people wasn’t as a result of it made me stronger as an individual and as a hooper,” Mitchell stated of the lows the franchise went by means of. “Like that have I received my first 4 or 5 years when no person got here and no person knew who the Fever was…I’m grateful for the chance as a result of it gave me a chance to be my greatest model of myself.”
The perfect model of Mitchell is strictly what the Fever have gotten. This season, she’s averaging a career-high 19.3 factors to associate with 2.8 assists. Whereas it may be a slight statistical step down from final yr when she had essentially the most environment friendly (55.9% efficient area aim share) scoring season of her profession, it’s nonetheless simply among the best years of her profession.
It’s additionally a season nonetheless lots worthy of an All-Star nod. For the third straight yr, Mitchell was named an All-Star and shall be joined by teammates Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston. It’s the second straight season that trio will symbolize the Fever within the mid-season exhibition as effectively.
“It’s an enormous alternative, personally, for myself and my household, however I feel for the group and the place it’s going,” Mitchell stated of being named an All-Star. “I feel now we all know issues are massive for the town and for the state, and for us to symbolize, play effectively sufficient to be referred to as All-Stars, I feel I’m grateful.”
Statistically, this season for Mitchell can also be remarkably just like her 2022 season, however the vibes across the Fever couldn’t be extra completely different.
Now, the variety of followers in attendance is measured within the tens of hundreds, fairly than the a whole lot. Gainbridge Fieldhouse is the one place in consideration to host video games as they common over 16,000 followers per sport.
Their sport towards the Dallas Wings earlier this season at American Airways Middle drew 20,409 followers. On 4 completely different events during the last two seasons, the Fever have performed in entrance of at the least 20,000 followers, one thing that’s solely occurred 10 instances in league historical past, in line with Throughout The Timeline.
Throughout Mitchell’s first six seasons, the Fever went simply 49-149. They ranked within the backside half of the league in dwelling attendance each a type of years, not even together with 2021 when followers weren’t allowed to attend as a result of COVID-19 pandemic. They ranked final in dwelling attendance in 2022 and second-to-last in 2023.
Via all of it, Mitchell stored enhancing and stored producing. Even when so few followers confirmed up, she nonetheless did on a nightly foundation. And now, she will get to reap the simply rewards.
“She’s simply such an amazing individual and has an amazing coronary heart and has been by means of loads with this franchise,” Clark stated of her fellow All-Star. “[She] has had some actually, actually robust years as a staff right here and all people that is aware of Kels and has adopted her profession, she’s at all times been a bucket getter. She’s at all times been an incredible participant, and he or she’s been an enormous a part of our success during the last couple of years.
“So for her to have this chance and to play an All-Star sport in entrance of any such crowd that we’re going to have…I really feel prefer it’s going to be somewhat bit full circle for her.”
Indianapolis has proven up for the Fever in an enormous means during the last two seasons, creating one of many loudest environments within the WNBA.
Now, the town will host the All-Star Sport, signaling each how far it has come and the place the sport goes within the state. Gainbridge Fieldhouse may even be a sold-out enviornment for the competition, giving many hometown followers an opportunity to observe their longest-tenured participant full her full-circle second.
“I’ve had a one hell of a profession, and nobody may inform me the way it was and the way it wasn’t,” Mitchell stated. “So I can stand on enterprise and say I knew what it was like when no person was in right here and now I do know what it’s like when individuals are. It simply goes to indicate…the place the sport goes and so that you respect what it’s now.”
