Indiana Fever’s Kelsey Mitchell Shares Health Scare During WNBA Semi-Finals
INDIANAPOLIS – Kelsey Mitchell, the All-Star Guard for the Indiana Fever, revealed on Wednesday that she experienced severe muscle issues that left her unable to move her legs during Tuesday night’s WNBA semi-finals.
She disclosed this information through her social media profile.
The incident occurred late in the third quarter of a tense match against Las Vegas, which ended in a 107-98 overtime defeat for the Fever. This loss meant that the Aces advanced to the WNBA Finals for the third time in four seasons, while the Fever’s surprising playoff journey came to an end.
During the game, All-Star Center Aliya Boston picked up her fifth foul while setting a pick for Mitchell, who was driving to the basket.
As the situation unfolded, Mitchell found herself on the court, assisting players and trainers who were collecting towels to provide privacy.
A stretcher was brought onto the court, but thankfully it wasn’t needed. Mitchell was able to stand and was subsequently taken to the hospital for evaluation.
In her post, she explained, “I was experiencing something called striated muscle dissolution. My muscles stopped functioning effectively, and I felt a numbness that rendered my lower limbs immobile for about 5-7 seconds.” She added, “I started to panic at the thought of not being able to move my legs. It felt surreal, and I sincerely thank God for being with me during such a scary moment.”
Mitchell stated she is recovering and expressed gratitude towards the trainers and doctors who assisted her both at the arena and in the hospital.
The 29-year-old, who was a standout at Ohio State and played high school basketball near Cincinnati, had a significant impact on the Fever’s unexpected playoff run.
After her third appearance in the All-Star Game, she averaged 20.2 points during the regular season, following it up with an impressive 22.3 points per game in the playoffs over eight games.
Unfortunately, due to the season’s conclusion, the Fever were without four key players, including All-Star Guard Kate Rinklerk.
Nevertheless, with Mitchell leading the charge, Indiana secured its first playoff series victory in a decade, coming back from a 1-0 deficit in their best-of-three series against Atlanta. They managed to push the second-seeded Las Vegas to a decisive fifth game, showcasing resilience even despite the injury to Mitchell.
“I literally played until the wheels fell off,” she mentioned in her heartfelt message. “Thank you for your prayers, love, and support throughout this experience.”
