INDIANAPOLIS — Kelsey Mitchell said Wednesday that the new seven-figure salaries in the WNBA meant she likely wouldn’t have to play overseas again.
One catch: Mitchell committed to the upstart league Project B earlier this winter, which plans to launch later this year as a global touring league.
A spokesperson for Project B told FOS that Mitchell is still with the league and expected to be part of its inaugural season despite her comments Wednesday. Mitchell’s agent did not respond to a request for comment.
She said that under the new collective bargaining agreement, it would take a “drastic, unique situation” for her to play overseas during the WNBA offseason. The Indiana Fever star signed a one-year, $1.4 million supermax deal earlier this month.
“Where I’m at in my career now, I’d rather play it smart,” Mitchell told reporters at the Fever’s media day. “Make sure my body is what it needs to be. And then also, respecting my craft. I feel like sometimes when you go overseas, you lose sight on some of the perfecting of the skills that you miss out on just because you’re going to try to make a couple dollars.
“I got a soul so I’d rather make sure that I’m right before I want to keep going overseas and missing out on a lot.”
Mitchell is one of 13 players already announced for Project B, a global basketball league set to debut in December. The league is expected to play at seven stops across Asia, Europe, and the Americas.
The eight-year WNBA veteran has spent most offseasons playing overseas in countries such as China, Israel, and Egypt. But she played domestically this past offseason, her first season with Unrivaled.
Mitchell said Wednesday that Unrivaled will remain an offseason option for her because she can stay stateside.
“That was good basketball, and it’s in the United States, so I can’t really complain,” Mitchell said.
Unrivaled’s season runs from January to March and is expected to overlap with Project B, which will make its final tour stop in Tokyo from March 26–April 4.
Before the 2026 season, minimum contracts were below six figures and max deals were around $250,000, leading players to chase higher salaries abroad. Even with the launch of Unrivaled last year, several players have still continued to do so, including Stewart and Minnesota Lynx All-Star Kayla McBride, who both played for Turkish powerhouse Fenerbahçe. The two had played multiple years for Fenerbahçe in the past.
Stewart led the team to the EuroLeague women’s title Sunday. McBride missed the EuroLeague postseason due to injury.
