INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell just seems to get better year after year.

That’s impressive considering just how good she has been during her previous eight years in the WNBA.

“I just think it’s about making sure that you understand why you’re here,” Mitchell said. “I don’t ever want to change who I am either. So, my purpose and my passion for hoops won’t change. And I think that’s how I stay in it.”

Mitchell is coming off a season in which she scored a career-high 20.2 points per game. In fact, she made such an impact on the court that she finished fifth in the WNBA’s 2025 MVP voting.

“Last year was a really growing period for me because it made you vulnerable,” Mitchell said. “I had to do a little bit more than I normally would in those conditions. And I think that it kind of made me who I am.”

This will be Mitchell’s ninth season with the organization. This past offseason she signed a one-year, supermax contract with the team worth a reported $1.4 million. The deal made her the first player in franchise history to make $1 million in a single season.

“I went from sleeping with somebody in a hotel room to having my (own place),” Mitchell said. “So those small adjustments and those small changes have impacted me greatly, but in so many positive ways. I’m so grateful that I’m even a part of it really.”

As often as fans talk about her stats, her teammates understand just how big of an impact Mitchell makes on and off the court as a leader within the organization.

“I think Kelsey’s one of the hardest guards in the league to have to guard,” Fever center Aliyah Boston said. “And she’s on my squad, so I’m super excited about that.”

One of the few things Mitchell has yet to achieve is winning a title, something she is focused on in 2026.

“Hopefully when you see Kelsey Mitchell, I’m giving everything I’ve got,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell and the Fever begin the regular season on Saturday at 1 p.m. EDT against the Dallas Wings. You can watch the game live on WISH-TV’s sister station, WRTV 6. Be sure to watch “All ACcess Indy: Season Preview” at 12 p.m. EDT on WRTV 6 as well.