Caitlin Clark's 'unreal' Fever teammate poised for new challenge after WNBA playoffs

Jeremy Beren

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Caitlin Clark's 'unreal' Fever teammate poised for new challenge after WNBA playoffs image

Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

The Indiana Fever are where many WNBA fans and observers thought they would be come the end of September -- but they have taken an unusual route there.

The sixth-seeded Fever have withstood season-ending injuries to Caitlin Clark, Sophie Cunningham and others to reach the WNBA semifinals -- where Indiana will host the second-seeded Las Vegas Aces on Friday night.

With the series tied at one game apiece, the Fever will be relying on star center Aliyah Boston and a guard Clark has called "unreal" to pull off the upset in Game 3.

MORE: Sophie Cunningham reveals what it is really like to be Caitlin Clark's teammate

When the Fever stole Game 1 of this series in Las Vegas last Sunday, Clark took to X to praise Kelsey Mitchell's contribution to the 89-73 victory. Mitchell, whose 20.2 points per game in the regular season were a franchise record, scored a game-high 34 points to lead Indiana to the vital series-opening victory.

Mitchell on Thursday was announced as the latest addition to Unrivaled, the 3-on-3 league founded by Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart that is positioning itself as the ideal alternative for WNBA stars who do not want to play overseas in between seasons.

Mitchell is joining the eight-team league for the first time following the successful inaugural year in 2024; her Indiana teammate Lexie Hull was confirmed as a returning star earlier this week.

But before Hull and Mitchell get set to square off -- potentially -- in Unrivaled beginning Jan. 5, there is the small matter of the WNBA semis, and a chance to reach the WNBA Finals for the fourth time in franchise history.

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Jeremy Beren

Jeremy Beren is a freelance WNBA writer with The Sporting News. A Phoenix native, he is a graduate of Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, and he has a decade’s worth of sports journalism experience. Jeremy's work has appeared in publications such as Marca, SB Nation, Athlon Sports and Vice Sports. He currently lives in Fayetteville, Arkansas.