After a career-best year in 2025 that resulted in a first-team All-WNBA First Team nod, Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell continues to reach new heights.
Mitchell surpassed 5,000 career points in the Fever’s 83-71 win over the Atlanta Dream on Thursday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, a victory that ended Indiana’s two-game skid to climb above the .500 mark at 5-4. Mitchell hit the milestone in the third quarter on a floating jumper in the paint. Mitchell finished with a game-high 25 points, shooting 11-of-15 from the field and 3-of-4 from the 3-point line.
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She’s the second player in franchise history to score 5,000 or more points, joining Tamika Catchings (7,380).
“Anytime I hear Tamika Catchings, I get humbled. She filled a lot of great shoes.,” Mitchell said after the win. “I think that for me it’s less about the accolade and more about the journey and the process. I can recall what it looked like … when it wasn’t so great for me. And so I try to keep a fine line of being excited but also humble.”
Mitchell highlighted her humility by crediting her teammates with her milestone.
“I’m only as good as the people around me,” Mitchell said. “The organization started investing and putting really big pieces around me… so having Aliyah Boston and having Caitlin Clark and Lexie Hall and the young group that came in over the course of the years has kind of helped me be who I am. And so I don’t think I would be in this position without such a great group.”
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Mitchell is averaging a career-high 21.1 points through nine games this season, which ranks third in the league. She has scored double digit points in every game this season, including four performances of 20 points or more.
Re-signing Mitchell was the No. 1 priority for the Fever this offseason. Indiana extended a core qualifying offer to Mitchell and she went on to sign a one-year supermax contract worth $1.4 million.
“Kelsey (Mitchell) is one of the biggest pieces of this franchise,” Boston said after Thursday’s win. “Kelsey was here before we got here, continued to give it her all, continue to show up every single day and we see that example in front of us.
“And so to see her get all these accomplishments and pass all these milestones … it just makes me so excited to have a leader and a role model in Kelsey.”
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Reach USA TODAY National Women’s Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson at chenderson@gannett.com and follow her on X at @CydHenderson.
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Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell (0) shoots the ball against Atlanta Dream forward Naz Hillmon (00) during the first half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Jun 4, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kelsey Mitchell reaches 5,000 career points for Fever
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
