Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell used part of her season-ending press conference Saturday to describe the strain of playing alongside Caitlin Clark, telling reporters, “I don’t think people really understand how much we endure, man,” and asking the public to extend players “grace.”
Some outlets framed her comments as a rebuke of Fever fans specifically. A commentary published by Outkick, part of Fox News’ sports coverage, argues that reading isn’t supported by Mitchell’s actual words. Mitchell referenced getting “a lot of flak” for “being on her team” — a reference to Clark — and also praised the Fever organization as “unbelievable.” She did not specify whether the criticism she described came from Fever fans, Clark critics, or some mix of both.
The Athletic ran a headline stating Mitchell “counters Fever GM’s defense of fans,” but the Outkick piece notes that none of Mitchell’s quoted remarks in that story directly name Fever fans as the source of the criticism she described.
A Career That Predates the Clark Era
Mitchell played six WNBA seasons before Clark joined the league, giving her a view of the Fever franchise that most of today’s audience never experienced. She has also spoken positively about the changes Clark’s arrival brought. In a recent interview with SLAM, Mitchell said: “When Angel Reese and CC came in, it opened up so many doors for us: resources, financial, all of it.”
Her salary history reflects that shift. According to figures cited by Spotrac and referenced in the Outkick commentary, Mitchell earned under $60,000 in 2020, $206,000 the season before Clark entered the league, and $1.4 million in 2026 — a single-season salary that exceeds her combined cash earnings of $1,122,442 from 2018 through 2025. The $1.4 million figure reflects a new WNBA maximum contract value under the league’s collective bargaining agreement, up from roughly $250,000 previously.
Clark’s Draw on Television
The commentary also points to broader audience numbers tied to Fever broadcasts this year. ESPN and ABC aired five regular-season WNBA games averaging more than 2 million viewers, and all five involved Indiana. CBS, NBC, ION and Prime Video each recorded their largest regular-season WNBA audiences for Fever games as well.
Thursday’s season-ending playoff game between the Fever and Las Vegas averaged 2.25 million viewers across USA Network and CNBC — the second-most-watched first-round WNBA playoff game on record, behind only the 2024 first-round matchup between Clark’s Fever and the Connecticut Sun.
Competing Interpretations
Commentator Jason Whitlock weighed in on X, writing that Mitchell’s and teammate Aliyah Boston’s complaint is that “the media only covers one aspect of the Caitlin Clark experience,” and that both players “have every right to explain their experience playing in the shadow of Caitlin Clark.”
The Outkick piece agrees Mitchell’s perspective deserves coverage but argues the financial upside belongs in the same conversation as the online harassment she described. It cites Minnesota Lynx guard Courtney Williams, who said last year: “Press the block button, bro. Press the block button and then move on,” adding, “We wanted more eyes on the game… So let’s embrace it.”
Mitchell is set to enter free agency this offseason in position for another seven-figure contract.
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