"Pretty blatant malpractice": Fans rip Fever's medical staff over Kelsey Mitchell's potentially fatal injury in Game 5 vs Aces

Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell suffered an injury during Game 5 of the Fever-Aces semifinals matchup on Tuesday. During the third quarter of the game, Mitchell froze and lay on the ground as players and trainers gathered around her. A stretcher was brought out to help her, but it was not needed.

On Wednesday, she shared a message on social media, explaining that she had suffered from Rhabdomyolysis, a condition most commonly encountered by marathon runners. It can be caused by over-exertion and dehydration and can be fatal if not treated promptly.

In light of Kelsey Mitchell’s statement about her injury, WNBA fans swarmed to social media to call out the Indiana Fever’s medical team. Fans claimed that Mitchell's suffering from the condition while being under the medical team’s supervision is “malpractice.”

More chimed in, claiming that many of the injuries suffered by Indiana’s players this season were “preventable.” A few fans chalked up the incident to the lack of facilities that WNBA players have to deal with. Here are some of the most notable reactions on X:

“The level of over-exertion/dehydration you need to get to develop this [Rhabdomyolysis] is extreme. Getting to that point while under the supervision of a professional sports team staff is pretty blatant malpractice on their part tbh,” a fan wrote.

chelsea leite

@chelsealeite

The level of over-exertion/dehydration you need to get to in order to develop this is extreme. Getting to that point while under the supervision of a professional sports team staff is pretty blatant malpractice on their part tbh I’m so shocked it got to that point

kb ⚡️

@kerrrr22

@chelsealeite My sister is a PT. She's been talking about what's been going on in Indiana all season and dumbfounded by what's transpired. Clark's injuries were entirely preventable. KM's Rhabdo was preventable. Half the bench's injuries were preventable. Yet, this was hardly reported on.

bps

@brittanyschmelz

@chelsealeite I think this is likely a lack of adequate facilities & staff available to the players. The playoff games & travel schedule is nuts. Without proper, detailed/continuous, S&C & nutrition guidance between games, there might be a high risk for this in players who see 25+ min in each game

KD

@kds5140

@chelsealeite yes, makes you question the recovery & nutrition standards the Fever have in place. rhabdo is rare & I have only seen it in ultra marathon type athletes.

ST13

@ST52TG

@chelsealeite I agree. The amount of injuries that happened for the Fever - is akin to negligence

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"To see her go down like that is not good": A'ja Wilson on Kelsey Mitchell's injury in Game 5

After the Las Vegas Aces defeated the Indiana Fever on Tuesday, A'ja Wilson showed support for Mitchell, one of the Fever's best players throughout the semifinals. Wilson acknowledged Mitchell, saying she is her "draft partner" and expressed concern over her injury.

"Just prayers for KM. That's my draft partner. To see her go down like that is not good," Wilson said.

While Kelsey Mitchell's stellar season came to a bitter end, she did enough to establish herself as one of the best players in the league. She finished fifth in MVP voting after averaging 20.2 points and 3.4 assists in 44 games for the Fever.

She was better in the playoffs, recording 22.3 points and 3.0 assists in eight games. Fans are eager to see what the Fever achieve with a healthy roster, including Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham in 2026.