Fans Go Wild as Kelsey Mitchell Reveals New Details About Being Caitlin Clark’s Teammate!

Indiana Fever All-Star Kelsey Mitchell makes feelings clear on Caitlin Clark as a teammate

Caitlin Clark has had a massive impact on the WNBA since being selected No. 1 overall by the Indiana Fever, and that has included a new level of scrutiny and pressure on her teammates

Indiana Fever star Kelsey Mitchell has shared a heartfelt tribute to her teammate Caitlin Clark, although she admits the “spotlight” brought by the rookie sensation has been challenging.

Clark was selected No. 1 overall in this year’s WNBA Draft and went on to be named the Rookie of the Year after a record-breaking debut season. The guard’s success in college with Iowa already made her a transcendent star, and her mainstream status only grew in her first season as a professional.

Clark, 22, helped spark a dramatic upturn in viewing figures for the WNBA as part of a talented and charismatic rookie class. For the most part, she has let her play do the talking, overcoming a difficult start to finish the season averaging 19 points and eight assists per game – leading the Fever to a 20-20 record and a short-lived playoff run in the process.

Two-time All-Star guard Mitchell, 29, has opened up on her “respect” for Clark. She wrote in The Players’ Tribune: “And I have so much respect for Caitlin, especially, and how she handled it as a youngin’.

“I hope we did a good job of being there for you, too, C. I gave her her flowers early in the game because the eyes she brought shined a light on all of us, too.”

But Mitchell says with greater attention as a result of Clark’s arrival came greater scrutiny – something that was particularly challenging as she grieved following the sudden death of her father aged 56.

Mitchell says the spotlight on Clark brought new challenges for her teammates ( 
Image:
Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
“We obviously had a new spotlight on us, with Caitlin being drafted, who I’m proud to call a teammate. That was exciting in its own way, with the fans it brought to the arena, and the opportunity it gave our squad,” Mitchell explained.

“But I think, in a weird way, the outside noise kind of made people forget sometimes that we’re still human, if that makes sense? The microscope got smaller and smaller, and I don’t think anybody was really thinking about the fact that my dad just died, or Katie Lou [Samuelson] is a mom trying to figure out motherhood and being a WNBA pro all in one, you know? We all had real things we were going through.

“I’ll be honest, the spectacle was unsettling sometimes. Some of the newer fans have been really hateful online to the incredible women in our league, and to me and our Fever players as well.

“But we leaned on each other to get through it. There were moments throughout the season when Katie Lou checked on me, and I checked on her. Kristy Wallace was there for me in Chicago, when I couldn’t hold back my emotions about my dad during shootaround, and she noticed and gave me a safe space to just bawl my eyes out.”

https://youtu.be/HgDqCXOq8PQ?t=3