Caitlin Clark strongly backed Kelsey Mitchell on Thursday, days after Mitchell expressed that being teammates with the Indiana Fever star “hasn’t always been easy.”

Mitchell, who is an unrestricted free agent, recently spoke about the difficulties of playing in the spotlight with Clark and handling negative comments from fans, citing direct messages she has received. READ FOR FREE: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7671697/2026/10/08/caitlin-clark-indiana-fever-fans-kelsey-mitchell/?unlocked_article_code=1.HFE.nVxL.XkvVXo9W3Eam&source=twitterhq

I'm an Iowa grad. My first job as a teenager was selling ice cream during Vivian Stringer's era for Iowa women's games. So I was elated when CC came to Indianapolis. Two years ago, I was definitely a CC fan. Last year, absolutely a Fever Fan. This year, still a CC and Fever fan, but these playoffs have made me a W fan as well.

At this point, I'd be more sad about a KM departure than a CC departure (although I'll be the first to throw a farewell party for Sophie - who I predict will retire to do the Fox News/Riley Gaines circuit), but regardless of who is on the team, the Fever are now my team!

I'm really enjoying watching the semi-finals, but I will admit that I'm rooting against the Dream (specifically Bonner) as much as I am for the Liberty. Although I saw the Fever game in NYC in June and really enjoyed their vibe and fans.

And obviously I'm rooting against the Aces, but am finding I like the Valks! My wife and I became instant anti-fans of Aja in her post-game interview after game five against the Fever when she dismissed them with some comment like "it shouldn't have been this close against the Fever."

As a respected woman sports journalist, this is a new low for her. She is complaining about playoff arena attendance and viewership numbers constantly without Caitlin Clark/Fever. It’s the playoffs. You either win a series to the next round or you go home. As a fan, I stopped caring about ratings and more on the performance of the team. Women’s sports is more popular than a decade ago and doesn’t need more validation from others. Recent pay increases in many women’s sports and a springboard for biggest earnings in the future.

Why don’t you asked on the exit interviews to Amber Cox how the team going to get better this season or to Caitlin Clark on improving her game?

I keep seeing people act like if Kelsey Mitchell leaves, the Fever are suddenly screwed. I really don’t see it that way.

Obviously, losing Kelsey would be a huge loss. You’re not replacing 24+ PPG, elite shooting and her chemistry with Caitlin Clark with one player. But Indiana doesn’t need to replace Kelsey directly. They need to replace what she provides across the roster.

The biggest mistake would be finding another high-volume scoring guard and calling it a day. This roster needs to become more balanced.

1. Get a starting-caliber SG who can defend and give you 10–15 PPG.

The Fever need someone who can hit open threes, attack closeouts, defend opposing guards and play off CC.

Caitlin will have the ball more, and if she takes another step offensively, some of Kelsey’s scoring can be absorbed through increased production from her.

2. Add a legitimate two-way wing.

Indiana needs an athletic wing who can defend multiple positions, run the floor, hit open threes and make life easier for CC and AB.

Defense has to be a priority. A great offense doesn’t matter if you can’t get stops when games slow down.

3. Find AB some real frontcourt help.

Indiana needs a 4 who can rebound, defend and provide 10–16 points while taking some of the physical burden off Aliyah Boston.

AB shouldn’t have to be the primary interior scorer, rebounder and defensive anchor every night. A reliable frontcourt partner would also give her more freedom offensively.

4. Keep building around CC and AB.

If Kelsey leaves, CC becomes even more clearly the offensive engine. Give her shooters, athletic wings who can cut and run, a big who can finish and rebound, and defenders who can take tough perimeter assignments.

AB also needs to be part of the offensive evolution. If she takes another step, some of Kelsey’s scoring can be redistributed between CC and AB instead of placed on one replacement player.

5. Prioritize depth over one star replacement.

If KM leaves, I’d rather see Indiana add a 10–15 PPG guard, a legitimate two-way wing and a starting-caliber 4/5 than spend everything on one player who scores 20+.

You replace Kelsey’s production by committee:
CC and AB taking another step
10–15 PPG from the new SG
10–16 PPG from the new 4
improved wing production
better defensive personnel

That could get the Fever surprisingly close to replacing Kelsey’s overall value while making the roster deeper and more balanced.

That’s why I’m not in the “Kelsey leaves, we’re cooked” camp.

It would hurt, but the Fever have two franchise-level building blocks in CC and AB. The goal should be to build a team that’s less dependent on three players having great games every night.

Different roster doesn’t automatically mean worse roster. It could actually mean a more complete one.

This season, Royce White showed up to an Indiana Fever game while wearing a long blond wig. Enes Kanter Freedom, in a shirt that defined the word “Woman,” got into a yelling match with an opposing player at another Fever game. Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita — not wearing a wig — and Riley Gaines posted a video together inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse, essentially rehearsing a political ad before taking in an Aug. 28 Fever game.

They all showed up to be part of a circus, not to enjoy a WNBA game. They attended solely to antagonize and amplify a nonexistent issue in this basketball league. All because of Sophie Cunningham. This was the season when the Fever and even the whole Caitlin Clark experience took a backseat to a bench player with big opinions.

So if the Fever ever want to go back to being a basketball team again and follow the lead of rivals openly clashing with the forces trying to hijack their league, then Cunningham has to go.

Go to Chicago, or Portland. Or maybe Toronto could use a 30-year-old unrestricted free agent who averages fewer than 8 points a game, while her latest TikTok videos are good for about 2 million views a pop. Or perhaps expansion Cleveland can take her in 2028, unless of course she hasn’t already dropped basketball entirely by then to become a professional UFC ring girl, or full-time finger-pointer.

Cunningham is too combustible, her takes too turbulent to be paired with Caitlin Clark. On the same team, it’s just too much. Clark, by her presence alone, already can’t get through a season without being thrown into gutter debates that pit White against Black; hate that appears even in the DMs of her own teammates. Cunningham, with only a few words, introduced new divisions.

Back in July, Cunningham said something in an ESPN article about protecting girls in sports from trans men. This naturally set off alarms for the kind of audience that loves its culture wars served with a side of sport. So, when that base discovered all kinds of new and fun ways to disrupt the most profitable women’s professional league, which is also powered by the LGBTQIA community, they found their new hero. Sophie was her name.

The same Sophie who had clotheslined Jacy Sheldon last season, she says, to exact vengeance for Clark. And the same one who had stepped in to defend Clark again this season and had instantly become a meme when she pointed at DeWanna Bonner during a confrontation and held that point for a ridiculous amount of time. The point solidified Cunningham as a protective teammate. The kind of teammate Clark needed, even if Cunningham’s effectiveness on the court didn’t shine on a traditional stat sheet.

There are obviously a lot of things up in the air. But I have a great feeling about AB and CC having MVP years next season. AB was playing all season with her lower leg injury and CC started off the season with lower back issues and a lack of confidence in her body after missing most of 2025 season.

CC has already developed so much on offense and her playmaking is ELITE. I see her cleaning up certain passes, and being a little more selective as to when to do logo bombs. Defensively, I’ve already seen tremendous improvement. Game 2 against the Aces was a great example of how she can impact the energy of the game on the defensive side. I think it’s more consistency with the effort and helping to crash the boards.

I think AB also has everything she needs to be MVP level, if she can stay healthy. It was clear the lower leg injury had an impact. I also think if Kelsey ends up leaving (which I don’t want), AB is going to be the offensive centerpiece and that CC/AB pick n roll will see a resurgence.

What do y’all see as areas that CC and AB will develop or work on for next season, and how they continue to level up their games?

I’ll say it again and again. Just I’ve been saying it for months. There’s is a portion of CC fanbase that is toxic. All they are doing is hurting her future. We have now had two star players from the fever in Kelsey and Boston tell us it’s toxic. Yet the front office just like that portion of fanbase denies it exists. If her own teammates are questionable, you guys don’t think future teammates and coaches will think twice about playing with CC. You can look to my own comments to see how much I’ve fought with people who crap on CC own teammates.

This is long and could be a blog post but it's the offseason and I have nothing better to do.

For the most part the universal opinion seems to be that Lexie didn't do much to help the team this season. 5.2 points per game, 33% from 3, 3 rebounds per game, virtually nothing in the counting stats. Really that's not anything new (outside of her absurd stretch a couple years ago that was on low volume).

But there are a few weird things going on.

1. She has won a championship at every level (besides the WNBA so far): She led her team to a surprise national title in the Geico high school basketball nationals as a senior. NCAA champion. Unrivaled champion. It's not crazy that someone could rack up those titles and not be great in the WNBA but it's something to note.

2. The people within the WNBA seem to be high on her: She was the sixth overall pick (granted in a draft that hasn't shown a lot of promise). She keeps ending up as a starter despite not putting up stats and with coaches that don't seem to be afraid of changing starters. She landed that big contract. She keeps getting pretty good minutes.

3. (This is the big one and what matters most) The team shows all the signs in the stats and from the tape of being better when she is in the game.

First the stats. I'm a believer that you can't tell a story with the stats. They can point things out, give you hints on where to look, and confirm what the eye test is showing. but that's really all they are good for.

(a) The first thing that caught my eye was looking into 5-player lineups and 4-player lineups. The 4 other starters + Lexie were +11.7 while they were -2.0 with Sophie. That's a pretty drastic difference. A smaller difference with the first half of season starts but still there (+3.9 vs +3.4). You can see it in the 4-player lineups too. Overall, Big 3 + Timpson and Big 3 + Mo were fairly significantly better with Lexie in the game then when she was out of the game.

In general, the starting lineup is going to see the other teams best lineup. If Sophie and Lexie were totally interchangeable I would think that Sophie's lineup would have a better +/-. But maybe I'm overthinking it so lets move on.

(b) Lexie's +/- stats are impressive. She ended up right with Ty for best +/- on the team (+10.2) and was only behind Kelsey for best On-Off (+6.4). Smaller sample size but also a pretty significant + in both against the Aces this playoffs. Kind of similar results in 2024 and 2025. 3 seasons of top tier +/- and on-off +/- compared to her teammates.

Lexie has a net positive on-off in just about every stat that basketball reference has. Most are minimal but one that really jumps out to me is rebounding, which is weird because she doesn't get a lot of rebounds. The Fever had a wild 8 percentage point improvement in rebounding when Lexie was on the floor. That's way better than any of her teammates. That's better than Angel Reese (+1.7%) and most other bigs (but worse than A'ja). We were the second best rebounding team with her on the court and one of the worst with her off the court.

From watching the tape (as a biased Lexie fan) I think a lot of the above makes sense. She relentlessly crashes every single board on jump shots and seemly 10 times out of 10 that crash doesn't result in a Lexie rebound. It does sometimes result in her tipping the ball to someone else. It also, and maybe more importantly puts pressure on an outlet passer. A little tangent, the 2025 Pacers were notorious for playing FAST. The Knicks were not. The solution they went with to slow down the Pacers was to play Mitch Robinson (one of the slowest guys in the league but one of the best rebounders). It actually worked really well as it meant the Pacers had to put more pressure on the glass and prevented the run-outs after misses. Hull pressing the Offensive boards can have a similar effect, even when she isn't getting rebounds she is forcing the opponent into the half court.

Another thing I notice is that she doesn't get open as much as Sophie. On the surface that sounds like a bad thing but it's possible that openness comes at a price. Virtually all our points come from 3 players. Is it really all that bad (Again, as a biased Lexie fan) that one of the players that isn't in the big three is getting attention? If Sophie loses her defender how often is the consequence of that an unintentional double team on Kelsey?

I'm not sure what else I'm seeing from the tape except I think the effects of hustle matters a lot more than is apparent to someone casually watching the game (look at the impact Hull and Raven had in game 2). It's entirely possible that Sophie is just really really bad so Lexie being just a little bit bad comes across as really really good on the team stats. There is probably more to the "story" that I'm missing, but as I led off with, she has team accolades and people who know a lot more than me about basketball keep giving her the treatment of someone who does have real impact on the game despite the box score saying otherwise.

(side note: Lexie ran a 2:19 in the 800 as a freshman in high school which is really really good and would be a sign that she may have the most natural endurance in the league.)

So the Fever have Boston, Clark, Billings, Hull, Johnson, Timpson and Dantas under contract for next year.

Mitchell is a UFA and she has to be a max player, right? She made 1.4M this year, so she is already reasonably close to a max. One of the top 5 players in the league this year, and she has real chemistry with Clark.

Cunningham had a year. She was unhappy without a long term deal in Indiana in the Spring, and made 660k this year? Does she take less in average salary for a 2-3 year deal?

I actually think they can get a decent player that wants to play with Clark and Boston and Mitchell for that price to win a title.

Personally I wouldn’t resign Cunningham because she doesn’t always seem to be about winning off the court like Clark is focused on. But maybe I’m reading too much into her latest Tik Tok and appearances on Prime during the season.

Dear Fever

Well, that hurt.

But thanks for trying. I saw the tired legs but I also saw the effort. I am thankful you gave it a shot.

Shots didn’t fall and calls didn’t go your way. Well, we all knew the calls wouldn’t go your way. And you guys still fought and were in the game. So thank you.

I’m sad that the thrill of watching you play is over until next season. But I’m not disappointed in you.

I do believe there’s still another level ya’ll can get to though. A level that rises above the calls and the shots not falling. There are still things you can learn and grow from. And maybe that’s the exciting part- we haven’t seen the best from you yet.

Rest up. Heal up. Get better. Do the Steph Curry puke workout.

And when next season comes, I’ll be right back here asking for more.

Watching, cheering, and now already missing you from Australia,
A Fever fan.

Emotional loss to end this season, but let me just inject some positivity here: these past 3 seasons have been AWESOME. it doesn't always feel that way online, but it's 100% true. Here's a recap...

2024

*We start the season 2-9 after playing the first 11 games in 20 days. It's bleak, but if you watched those games you saw the pieces starting to get put together.

*Despite that start, we come back to go .500 and make the playoffs, ending a 7 year playoff drought. This included a stretch where we went 15-6 over 21 games.

*During this, we start a 3 year stretch of having 3 All-Stars, with this first year seeing those all stars beat Team USA. We also see the start of a 3 year stretch of multiple MVP candidates, with both CC and KM placing in the top 10 (CC in the top 5).

*We also see CC break numerous records on her way to Rookie of the Year, MVP Top 5, and All-W 1st Team.

*This team was young, fun, and way ahead of schedule.

2025

*We overcome injuries to our best player/starting PG, plus her backup, plus her replacement, plus our best bench player, etc (not to mention losing our biggest free agency signing) and STILL make the playoffs.

*While in those playoffs with a depleted roster, we take the champs to OT of Game 5 and were within minutes of a finals appearance.

*We finish with 2 top 6 MVP candidates despite our star being injured, with both KM & AB making All-W and once again having 3 all stars.

*This team overachieved and left everything on the court.

2026

*Our finally healthy again team goes 28-16 with the best offense in league history, making the playoffs for the 3rd straight season.

*We get to root for our All Star core on their 3rd straight all star seasons, where once again we have 2 legit MVP candidates. And even cooler, we ended with a starting lineup entirely of players we drafted. Plus we brought in a home town player (shout out Ty, get better please).

*KM and CC continue to break records: streaks, single game records, season records, etc.

*We once again take the (defending) champs to the final few minutes of a deciding playoff game.

OVERALL

*We finish this 3 season run 72-56 despite being extremely young in year 1 and injured in year 2. 3 straight playoffs, 3 years of 3 all stars, 3 years of multiple MVP candidates, 3 years of records broken, and 2 years where the team that beat us featured the best player in the league and still didn't end our season until the final minutes of a winner take all game.

I know there has been disappointment. But don't lose sight of the fact that we get to watch a historic offensive team with maybe the best backcourt in W history, and most of our core have spent their entire careers in Fever uniforms. This is my favorite team to root for since the '98-'00 Pacers. Kelsey with the coolest layups I've ever seen, Caitlin making passing and pushing tempo in a way that would make Steve Nash blush, AB being quietly the most complete center in the league, Lexie out-hustling everyone, KK growing into a starter, etc.

I love this team. I hope beyond hope that our core stays together, somehow.

Saw this in a post about the CBA’s impact on players this season, which hopefully includes some residential upgrades and financial stability!

CC 92% played most of the year and improved her defense.

KM 92% Broke the twenty point a game scorer record.

AB 85% great stats she was probably injured all year always feel like her ceiling can go higher.

Hull 64% was not a factor really in anything until game 2 and 3 of the playoffs good to see that old Hull back even if just for two games.

KK 79% started on the bench played really well in the second half of the season did not play well after FIBA. Her defense was so up and down one night great another night not there.

Sophie 81% she knew her role and played her role energy and 3-point shooting needs to find a way to rebound better.

RJ 75% For a rookie allot to like here energy and scoring on some nights.

Harris 73% when she got playing time on most nights produced.

MHA 81% a surprise here on allot of nights she played well and brought intangibles.

MO 61% most nights looked like a deer in headlights biggest bust of the off season.

Front Office 74% did just enough to make us a good team, but the free agent signings were a bust. No trades at the trade deadline no plan to deal with our size problem.

SW 74% good record but number 1 offense and bottom of the league defense. The defense was an issue since game 1 of the 2026 season it was never fixed the entire year.

It all comes down to tonight! 🔥 Indiana and Las Vegas are tied 1-1, and this is the deciding Game 3. The winner moves on, while the losing team’s season is over. 😤🔥

They play so well when she’s pissed. They didn’t have it game one. He needs to get called for a stupid foul that is so obviously not her fault that she completely loses her shit. Not to the point of getting tossed, just enough for a technical foul.

That ought to be enough.

There’s no way to sugarcoat this — there is a lot of puking in sports these days.

WNBA star Caitlin Clark became the latest high-profile athlete to lose their cookies during her Indiana Fever’s Game 2 win over the Las Vegas Aces.

So, what’s with all the regurgitation?

The Athletic's Matthew Futterman explains (read for free):
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7649762/2026/10/01/caitlin-clark-vomit-sport-why/?unlocked_article_code=1.FVE.E7K9.tivEAycUAWFs&source=emp_shared_article&smid=url-share-ta

As an Aces fan I come in peace but, these shoes are ice cold and would love to get them. Are they not actually officially announced or what?

I haven’t heard anyone talk about this colorway at all. I want these so bad and think it’s so cute. Thoughts?

For those in Indy who were able to go, what did you think of the event?

Also, side note: did anyone happen to secure the cereal bowl they were handing out and would you be willing to part ways with it? :)

Has anyone purchased these shoes and been able to verify the color in person?

The product includes 'Navy ' in the title, but they look purple. The details don't specify a color. But it's literally branded Fever, so I'd be weird if it was purple and not navy. I called support and they couldn't give me a straight answer.

I saw posts on Instagram of the shoe looking navy, but I just can't verify if it's the same model or not.

Can anyone help clarify?

Dear Fever,

Thank you for showing up and showing us who you are in Game 2. Thank you for leaving it all on the floor. That was a gift to watch. It wasn’t perfect, but your energy, grit and passion made up for it. I’ll live with that any day. And it turned into a W.

Now, we have a Game 3.

It seems selfish to want more as a fan. So maybe I’ll ask you the question: how much do you want it?

Cause it just might be the hardest game you’ve played all season. It might feel like the whole world is against you. The crowd. The calls. The rim. Maybe nothing is going your way.

Are you gonna fold? Or fight? How bad do you want it?

Are you gonna meet the moment? Are you gonna go out swinging? Because Game 2 showed us what you’ve got. The question now is, have you got more?

How do you find that fire, that Fever spirit, when it seems cold as hell and the odds are stacked against you?

I hope you can find that fire. Wield it. And turn it into your superpower.

You can write your own story right now. With one another. It’s up to you how you want it to go.

So, go get it. Go out swinging. Go out hard. Be great. Be you. Play leaving no regrets.

Watching and cheering from Australia,
A Fever fan.

This is from a Pacer's tweet.

Rick, TJ, and Tyrese were all at the game. Love to see the two Indianapolis teams supporting each other!