Caitlin Clark ‘Upset’ After Kelsey Mitchell Said It’s Hard to Be Her Teammate
Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell on Aug. 8, 2026Credit: Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire/Getty
Caitlin Clark reacted to Kelsey Mitchell’s recent comments about how “tough” it was to be Clark’s teammate this season
“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,” Clark said in her exit interview on Oct. 8
Clark said it’s “really disappointing” when her name is used to “demonstrate racist rhetoric or hate”
Caitlin Clark is reacting to Kelsey Mitchell’s comments about how hard it is to be her teammate.
During her end-of-season exit interview on Thursday, Oct. 8, the 24-year-old Indiana Fever star told reporters she saw her teammate’s comments days prior — in which Mitchell said she and others “get a lot of flak just for being on [Clark’s] team” with many of her fans shouting racist rhetoric at opposing players.
Clark said, “I think 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.”
Kelsey Mitchell and Caitlin Clark on Aug. 23, 2026Credit: Michael Reaves/Getty
Clark acknowledged that she’s been under “a microscope” since rising to fame with the Iowa Hawkeyes in college, and said the attention spills over onto her teammates. “It comes with a lot of really great things and some negatives,” she said.
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Addressing the ongoing discourse around her fanbase, and the claims that they’re the cause of the racism aimed at players, Clark said, “I think as far as people who have used me to, you know, demonstrate racist rhetoric or hate, or discrimination, that’s not something I stand for. It’s never been something I’ve stood for.”
Clark continued, “For those of you that know me, that’s not what I’m about. That’s now how I was raised, so thats really disappointing when people do that....Anytime I see something like that, it makes me upset, makes me sad, makes me disappointed. That’s not who I am. That’s not what I’m about.”
Regarding Mitchell, Clark said she’s spoken to her teammate since the season ended. “She knows how much I love her,” Clark told reporters, adding that she and the organization will “recruit her as hard as we can” this offseason. Mitchell is a free agent and has indicated she plans to test the market with other teams.
“There’s nobody I would want to share the backcourt with other than her,” Clark said of Mitchell.
Mitchell made her comments in an exit interview on Oct. 3, telling reporters it was “tough” to share the court with Clark this season. “I think the hardest part about being a Fever girl —obviously, you guys know I’ve been a part of that a long time, but the last couple of years, guys, I don’t think people really understand how much we endure, man.”
She continued, “If I showed y’all my DM’s about the hate and, you know, like all of the stuff that comes with being a professional athlete, but specifically being an Indiana Fever basketball player.”
Source: Entertainment