Kelsey Mitchell joined the Full Court Sound Off podcast this week to discuss what it’s like to play in the WNBA, her life in basketball, and her goals on and off the court.
Solomon did this interview solo, quizzing his cousin on everything from her big plans outside of hoops to playing overseas to her “welcome to the league” moment.
Kelsey Mitchell Joins FCSO
Kelsey Mitchell Basketball Bio
Kelsey Mitchell was selected No. 2 overall in the 2018 WNBA Draft by the Indiana Fever. She is in the middle of her fourth season in the WNBA, all with the Fever. Through her 110 WNBA games so far, she has averaged 14.7 points and 2.6 assists per contest while shooting 39.3 percent from the field and 35.3 percent from three. In the 2021 campaign specifically, she’s putting up 16.1 points, 2.3 assists, and 2.5 rebounds per outing while shooting 41 percent from the floor.
Before turning pro, Mitchell played at Ohio State from 2014 to 2018. She averaged 24.5 points and 3.9 assists per game in those four years and finished her college career as the second all-time leading scorer in NCAA Division I history behind only Kelsey Plum with 3,402 points, surpassing Jackie Stiles in the second round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament. Mitchell was named First Team All-Big Ten four times, Big Ten Player of the Year three times (2015, 2017, and 2018), was an All-American four times (First Team in 2016), and won USBWA National Freshman of the Year in 2015.
Plans Off the Court
Mitchell explains that she recently got involved with two Black-owned clothing brands as a female ambassador. One is How She Gone Eat, which was started by former Ohio State football players Mitchell knew from her Buckeye days, and the other is BlaCk OWned OuterWear, a local brand out of Cincinnati, which is Mitchell’s home city. Mitchell has photoshoots upcoming that she says she’s looking forward to.
Playing with Men
Growing up, Mitchell often played with the boys, and later men. It warped her game to a degree, but it made her a stronger player in the end, she said.
“The physicality of the game, I was coming in and hacking, man,” she explained. “You play against the guys, you gotta get it out the mud. High school to college, college to pros, I always had my hands on people, so that was real tough for me.
“On the flip side, I think the best thing I could have done is play with guys,” she continued. “I think it shaped my mentality and who I am on the court and who I am within my heart. When you play with guys, nobody’s gonna give you nothing, so your strength had to come from somewhere.”
Check out the full podcast to learn about Kelsey Mitchell and her story!
