Caitlin Clark addressed Kelsey Mitchell’s comments about the hate that comes with being her teammate on Thursday, telling reporters at her season exit interview that people who use her name to spread racism do not speak for her.
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It was the first question Clark got. Mitchell had opened up during her own exit interview on October 3, saying her DMs are full of hate that comes with playing for the Indiana Fever. “Showing up every day to compete for fans that may or may not like you is hard. I don’t think people understand that,” Mitchell said. “I think having to show up for people that don’t look at you and have the eyes, like, the star eyes, when they see me, but playing with (Caitlin Clark) and having the eyes that she got, we get a lot of flak just for being on her team, so I think that just comes with a lot, too. And I just think that people got to give us grace.”
Clark said hearing that hurt. “As her teammate, it makes you upset because you care about your teammates so much, and you don’t want any of them to go through something like that,” she said.
Then she went straight at the people doing it. “As far as people that have used me to demonstrate racist rhetoric, or hate, or discrimination, that’s not something I stand for. It’s never been something I’ve stood for,” Clark said. “For those of you that know me, they (know) that’s not what I’m about. It’s not how I was raised, so that’s really disappointing when people do that. Anytime I see something like that (it) makes me upset, makes me sad, makes me really disappointed because that’s not who I am.”
Clark also made her feelings about Kelsey Mitchell clear on the court. “There’s nobody I would want to share the backcourt with other than her,” she said. She pointed out that the Fever had the best offense in WNBA history this season and said that is exactly why getting Mitchell back matters.
That is not a given. Mitchell is a free agent heading into 2027, and re-signing her is expected to be a top priority for Indiana. Clark said she and Aliyah Boston, as the team’s two leaders, plan to stay in close conversation with general manager Amber Cox about the roster and will help recruit free agents who visit.
The comments come after a rough end to the season. Las Vegas blew out Indiana in Game 3 of their playoff series, and the postseason had its own ugly moment when Aces star A’ja Wilson confronted a fan in the stands.
This is not the first time Clark has spoken out. In September 2024, after Connecticut’s Alyssa Thomas accused Fever fans of racism, Clark said, “Those aren’t fans, those are trolls.” In July 2026 she said, “Harassment, hate, none of that is OK.” Black players around the league, including Thomas and Chelsea Gray, have faced racist abuse from people claiming to defend Clark, and Mitchell’s comments made it clear her own teammates are carrying some of that weight too.
