Indiana’s 2025 season was supposed to be the year Caitlin Clark made her MVP push. That was the storyline, the expectation, the prediction everyone felt safe making. But as the months went by, instead of Clark carrying the torch, it was Kelsey Mitchell who rose to the moment–so much so that Fever players were walking into arenas wearing “Kelsey Mitchell MVP” shirts to make her case. And even after that Mitchell somehow keeps finding new ways to surprise the basketball world.

Education has always been a core value in the Mitchell household, and Kelsey just proved that once again in the most Kelsey Mitchell way possible. In a recent Instagram post on November 19, the Fever star revealed that she’s now pursuing her PhD. The video she shared shows her speaking at the Indiana University Girls Leadership Symposium, hosted by the IU School of Public Health-Bloomington and attended by over a hundred middle school girls.

“I’m getting my PhD, currently, at Liberty University,” Mitchell said. “Like, when y’all do homework, I’m probably doing homework, too. At a coffee shop or somewhere. I don’t know how good I’ll do, but I won’t quit. And because I won’t, you won’t either. If you look at yourself in the mirror and know what you bring to the table, as a teammate, as a team member… You have to go through it to see it through. You legit have to take some L’s to get some W’s.”

Major props to Kelsey Mitchell — not just for chasing her PhD, but for inspiring everyone watching her do it. Only about 13.1% of adults in the U.S. have an advanced degree, according to the 2018 census, which makes her achievement even more impressive. So it’s no surprise that once she shared the news, social media lit up instantly. Thousands of fans jumped in to congratulate her and show their love. Let’s take a look at some of the best reactions.

Fans react to Kelsey Mitchell getting her PhD

Respect came pouring in from every direction. “She’s inspiring,” one fan wrote. Another added, “Yes, go get it! If my brain worked as good as yours, I’d be doing the same thing. Going after my dream. Yes, go inspire someone! Proud of you!!! 💙💛♥️” And honestly, Kelsey Mitchell deserved every bit of that love.

She already earned her degree from Ohio State back in 2018. Then, in 2020, she completed her master’s in Sports Administration from the University of Cincinnati, where she opened up about how deeply education was instilled in her from a young age — not just by her parents, but by her grandfather, who had passed away earlier that year. “My grandfather recently passed away and education was extremely important [to him]. If you weren’t getting an education, you weren’t doing something right to him. So, I’m really excited to know that I did accomplish that even though he passed away [before I graduated].” Following that path, she’s now chasing her ultimate goal: earning her PhD, something she’s always said is “important for me for life after basketball.”

Another fan chimed in, “👏 I mean she carried a whole franchise on her back for a whole season, she really can do it all 😂.” And honestly, that’s not wrong. With Caitlin Clark playing only 13 games and Sophie Cunningham, Sydney Colson, and Aari McDonald all getting ruled out for the year, it was Kelsey Mitchell who shouldered most of the Fever’s offense.

Mitchell finished the regular season as the league’s second-leading scorer with 890 points, averaging 20.2 points and 3.4 assists per game. She was the engine of the Fever all year, helping them win their first playoff series in ten years and pushing them to within one win of the Finals. One even joked, “told you my wife da best in the league 😎🤣,” doubling down on the argument that Kelsey was the best player in the W last season.

Well, that’s a debate for another day because A’ja Wilson absolutely deserved the MVP. But it’s also fair to say Kelsey Mitchell was one of the best players in the league last season. Her impact didn’t go unnoticed either. She’s now headed to Unrivaled for the first time, selected by the Hive BC, and the highest-paid player in the W last year is surely about to secure another big bag in the new league. She’ll make her debut on January 5 … just 45 days from now.

When a fan says, “She’s amazing! She’s deserving of everything coming her way!” it’s hard to disagree. Kelsey Mitchell’s resume speaks louder than anything else. And now that she’s officially a free agent, Fever president Kelly Krauskopf has already made it clear that re-signing Mitchell is the franchise’s top priority, no matter what the new CBA ends up looking like. That alone tells you everything about the kind of impact Kelsey Mitchell has had on this team.