Indiana Fever’s Kelsey Mitchell had a heartfelt tribute for her teammate Damiris Dantas, who earned $197,100 in her last contract with the team. Mitchell penned a message for the Brazilian Dantas as she celebrated her 33rd birthday on Monday, Nov. 17. In the message, Mitchell showed gratitude for Dantas’ unselfishness on and off the court after playing together with the Fever in the past two WNBA seasons. “To my Brazilian sister, thank you for being the selfless person and teammate you were! Ultimate pro on and off the court,” Mitchell wrote on top of a collage of the two while on a Fever game. “Nothing big happened without you! i love you my girl. Happy birthday.,” she added. Dantas appeared in 38 games for the Fever last season, averaging 4. 6 points, and 2. 6 rebounds in 11. 6 minutes per game. Meanwhile, Mitchell became the go-to player for the injury-riddled Fever last season as she put up 20. 2 points and 3. 4 assists per game, leading Indiana in their Cinderella run to the WNBA semifinals, where they lost to the eventual champions Las Vegas Aces. Dantas enters the offseason as a free agent, as her two-year contract with the Fever ended. Mitchell is also set to be an unrestricted free agent this season. She earned $249,244 last season with the Fever. However, WNBA free agents and teams are on a standstill as they wait for the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with the league. Kelsey Mitchell hopes for a WNBA season next year amid CBA talks Kelsey Mitchell echoed most fans and players’ sentiments for the next WNBA season amid CBA talks. According to Mitchell, a WNBA season is important for all fans and players amid talks about a possible lockout year in the league. “I hope we got a league,” she said. “I hope that when it’s all said and done . we can have a season, period. For all the girls, every person, that has aspirations to be in the league . that’s the start. Having a league is kind of big for us.” Mitchell believes all stakeholders have a responsibility to continue the league for next year. “We have a responsibility to make sure that this game is in a great place going forward with the CBA, caring for our players and building this league to make sure it’s in a great spot for many years to come.” Players, teams, and the league have to agree on a new revenue share among other aspects to move forward from the talks. Until then, the 2026 WNBA season remains in the balance.
https://www.sportskeeda.com/us/wnba/news-nothing-big-happened-without-you-kelsey-mitchell-pays-heartfelt-tribute-indiana-fever-s-197-100-free-agent
