Kelsey Mitchell, part of the “most resilient” team, played until her “wheels fell off.” She left the court during the Indiana Fever’s semifinal Game 5 against the Las Vegas Aces when her body suddenly felt numb as she pushed her muscles to their maximum potential. That moment made her an inspiration on the court for many, but she isn’t satisfied just yet.

She’s now inspiring young girls off the court, too. Mitchell is currently pursuing her PhD at Liberty University. She announced this major personal milestone during her speech at the Indiana University Girls Leadership Symposium, an event attended by more than a hundred middle school girls eager to learn from one of the W’s brightest stars.

She also explained that her discipline in basketball pushed her to stay committed academically, a path that eventually led her to doctoral studies. “When y’all do homework, I’m probably doing homework, too,” she told the audience with a smile. Well, that’s a path Mitchell chose for herself.

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She last completed her master’s degree in sports administration from the University of Cincinnati back in 2020. So, she knows pursuing a degree while playing professional basketball isn’t easy. Even during her master’s program, she took classes while playing overseas in Turkey.

But the Indiana Fever standout knows how to push her mind and body to their highest potential. She managed to study after finishing practice or games. She used to trade her basketball for textbooks and her playbook for course syllabi, juggling two classes at a time.

“All my work was getting done in advance because I was seven hours ahead of America… All my work was coming in so fast my professor was like, ‘How are you getting this done?’ I was like, ‘I’m in another country, I’m sorry,’” she told Andscape in June 2022. Finally, after hours of work and discipline, she graduated with her second degree – something she earned through the tuition-assistance program offered under the league’s CBA.

Also, Mitchell had previously applied to the University of Miami in 2022 for an online doctorate in applied learning sciences. “There’s a lot that I want to do once I put the ball down,” she told Andscape back then. “These are the steps that I got to take.” So now, with experience already in hand, Mitchell is on to her next challenge: a PhD. 

And if you’re thinking of her vision behind pursuing higher education, then it’s becoming an athletic director. She found her passion for sports administration while leading student-athletes as an undergraduate at Ohio State University. Even during trips to Indianapolis, she visited the NCAA headquarters to learn from the organisation’s athletic director, Gene Smith. She’s always been clear about her career path. 

But what does her future on the court look like?

Indiana has only three players currently under contract – and Kelsey Mitchell isn’t one of them. This winter, she’ll join more than 100 players entering unrestricted free agency. So far, she has expressed a desire to test free agency. “I think [family] has to be first and foremost important for me when I think about free agency. But on the flip side of things, knowing what Indiana means to me, it’s paramount, it’s huge.”

“It’s a lot of what-ifs. But I like to think that in the right realm of work, I can’t not not think about Indiana, you know?… Like, I can’t not not think about Indiana. And on the other side of things, I gotta make sure I’m put in position to take care of my family or be there for my family. I also know that this is for my family, as well. So it’s a combination of both,” she told Sue Bird on the October 24 episode of Bird’s Eye View.

She didn’t say anything concrete about returning to Indy, but it’s clear she feels valued there. She’s loved her time with the franchise since 2018 and is optimistic about its direction. And she’s not the only one. According to Fever GM Amber Cox, signing Mitchell has been the team’s top priority.

Notably, Fever also designated Mitchell as a core player, giving her the team’s exclusive rights and guaranteeing her a supermax contract for the 2025 season. So, we might see Indy pairing up with Mitchell for the upcoming season. But of course, everything depends on the new CBA deal – which is still nowhere in sight.