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Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell is the latest high-profile figure to address the Olivia Miles transfer portal saga. College basketball star Miles recently stunned the sports world when she decided to remain in college and enter the transfer portal instead of declaring for the WNBA.
Mitchell, who is now preparing for her eighth season with the Fever, was asked about her views on loyalty and Miles' decision to enter the portal after spending four seasons with Notre Dame.
Speaking on an episode of the "Sports are Fun" podcast from Saturday, the WNBA All-Star gave her two cents on the subject.
"The thing with Olivia, I'm sure whatever she decided to do, I'm going to say, it was for her and what she needed for her career," said Mitchell. "But I hope consciously that they make decisions based on what they need for themselves. Not all money is good money." (48:18)
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Following Notre Dame's Sweet 16 loss to TCU, Miles admitted she was weighing her options.
"The W ... the volatility is up and down. So I don't know. I'm deciding between a bunch of factors," said Miles, per ESPN.
Olivia Miles is coming off a strong season with the Irish and many experts predicted that she would be a top-three pick going into the draft.
Only a few years ago, players were desperate to make the jump from the collegiate level to the pros. That no longer seems to be the case with players like Miles and several other NCAA athletes choosing to forgo the draft and remain in college while eligible.
The new NIL (name, image and likeness) rules, which were put in place in 2021, and the transfer portal now allow college players more flexibility. Miles will now continue her basketball development with another college program in 2025-26.
Kelsey Mitchell set to return to Indiana Fever for eighth straight season
Kelsey Mitchell entered the offseason as a free agent and there would have been plenty of WNBA teams interested in the 29-year-old All-Star. Mitchell was coming off a sensational season where she averaged 19.2 points and 1.8 assists per game, and helped guide the Fever to the postseason for the first time since 2016.
In the end, however, Mitchell chose to remain with the Fever, signing a 1-year, $249,244 deal for the 2025 season.
Indiana selected Kelsey Mitchell as the second overall pick in the 2018 draft and the former Ohio State star has spent her entire seven-year career with the Fever. She will be looking to make a big impact when she returns for another season in 2025.
