Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell had a scary moment Tuesday night during Game 5 of the WNBA Semifinals against the Las Vegas Aces. Mitchell had to leave the court in the third quarter after experiencing extreme lower body cramping.
Mitchell was taken straight to a hospital, where she was treated and released later that same night. She is now back under the care of the Fever’s medical staff. Mitchell is expected to make a full recovery.
Kelsey Mitchell explains terrifying collapse during Game 5
Mitchell opened up on social media the next day, revealing that her muscles essentially shut down.“I suffered from something called Rhabdomyolysis last night. My muscles stopped producing and reached its maximum capacity,” she wrote. “I went into a sense of numbness/paralyzing feeling with no movement from my lower extremities for up to 5 to 7 seconds. I panicked because I began to think the worse when I felt I couldn’t move my legs. It was an out of body experience and I thank God for covering me at a time like that.”
“Today on Oct. 1, I am walking and moving at a slow pace, but I will be fine very soon. I want to thank the Fever medical team, Vegas medical team, and the staff at the local hospital for keeping me safe. In other words, I played literally til my wheels fell off, lmao,” she added.Her refusal to leave the court on a stretcher, instead leaning on teammates as Aliyah Boston helped guide her down the tunnel, spoke volumes about her toughness. Fever coach Stephanie White initially described the episode as “a lot of lower-body cramping,” but Mitchell’s disclosure put the frightening scene into clearer perspective.
Indiana Fever delivered a stunning postseason fight
Mitchell’s collapse was the latest blow in a season where the Fever lost six players to season-ending injuries, including Caitlin Clark. Despite that, Indiana pushed the defending champions to a decisive Game 5 and nearly stole it. Boston fouled out late, yet Indiana still forced overtime before falling short.Opponents and peers showed immediate support. Four-time MVP A’ja Wilson said, “First off, prayers for Kelsey Mitchell. That’s my draft partner and to see her go down like that was not good. So super prayers out to her. … I really hope the Indiana Fever continue to take care of her, because she’s a gem.” Aces coach Becky Hammon echoed, “Nobody wants to see anyone carried off the court like that ever.”Mitchell finishes the postseason averaging 22.3 points per game.
