Fever make WNBA history with record deals for Kelsey Mitchell, Aliyah Boston
The contracts underscore the franchise’s aggressive investment — and reinforce Indianapolis’ bid to be the women’s sports capital of the world.
For the past two years, since taking over as CEO of Pacers Sports & Entertainment, Mel Raines has made it a priority to make Indianapolis the women’s sports capital of the world.
She brought back Kelly Krauskopf, the original architect of the Indiana Fever — someone instrumental in the WNBA’s growth on both the basketball and business sides. They agreed to host WNBA All-Star Weekend last year for the first time after the league reached out for help. They began construction on a new $78 million, world-class training center for the Fever that takes into consideration players’ basketball and personal needs.
Then, over the past week, they made history — twice — with player salaries.
After extending a Core qualifying offer to Kelsey Mitchell, the Fever signed her to a one-year supermax contract worth $1.4 million. Mitchell, already the highest-paid player last season (at $250,000), became the first player to sign for 20% of the new salary cap under the league’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Five days later, the Fever signed three-time All-Star center Aliyah Boston to a contract extension using the new Exceptional Performance on Initial Contract (EPIC) provision in the CBA. The rule provides an accelerated pathway to maximum contracts for star players still on rookie deals.
The EPIC provision is available to players named All-WNBA First or Second Team, or league MVP, within their first three seasons. Both Boston and Caitlin Clark check that box.
Boston, who made about $83,000 last season, was set to earn more than $500,000 this year — a significant increase under the new CBA. Instead, she signed a four-year extension worth an estimated $6.3 million, including $1 million in 2026.
The announcement came late Friday evening, but once again, it was the Fever making history — this time with the largest contract in WNBA history.
“She’s been a foundational piece of the Indiana Fever since she was drafted here in 2023,” said Fever GM and COO Amber Cox. “We’re thrilled to be able to reward her with this new contract and make history, and most importantly, lock her in as a cornerstone of the Fever for years to come.
“There is not a better person to go down in history as the first recipient of this type of groundbreaking agreement.”
With a salary cap of $7 million, the Fever now have two players earning seven figures this season.
“I was super blessed,” Boston said. “God is great, man! Just to be here, be with the Fever, get that extension, I’m super excited about it. Pretty much once CBA was finalized, my agent handled all that. I just sit back, watch a good show and wait for him to call me.”
And what a call that must’ve been.
The front office, coaches, and players had been preparing for free agency for months. Mitchell, Boston, and Lexie Hull were all at Unrivaled, where many of those conversations took place. The Fever coaching staff — along with Clark — also spent time there. They worked out, shared meals, spent time together, and strengthened relationships.
“I asked Lexie — we sat at the table a couple times together,” Mitchell shared. “We knew we had to make it make sense. We knew that we wanted to be together. So that was the easy part — sit down and break bread with the people that you enjoy playing the game with.
“We talked about making sacrifices for each other. We talked about being what we needed to be for each other.”
Mitchell averaged a career-high 20.2 points last season and finished fifth in MVP voting. “She further cemented her legacy last season, and we hope her return underscores how much she is valued by our entire organization,” Cox said.
Boston didn’t hesitate when asked about Mitchell becoming the league’s first million-dollar player.
“As she should be,” she said. “Period.
“I love Kelsey. Her dedication to this franchise has just been so crucial and she’s a big part as to why we even made it so far last year, especially with C being out. For her to get that money, I’m so proud of her.”
Added Clark: “Nobody more deserving. Really happy for her and happy that she gets to spend more time here because these fans really love her. This organization really loves her and I’ve loved getting to play with her every single second. She’s not only a great basketball player, but one of my good friends. So really happy to celebrate her.”
The Fever have a Big Three in Mitchell, Boston, and Clark. But this will be the final season they’re not all earning maximum salaries. Next year, Mitchell will again be a free agent, and Clark will be extension-eligible.
Can they commit 60% of the cap to three players? That’s a question for another day — but it helps explain why most of their other free-agent deals were for one year. Flexibility matters.
“It’s just baffling hearing those numbers,” said head coach Stephanie White, who played for the Fever from 2000-04. “It’s crazy. I’m so thankful that this league is where we are right now — to still be a part of it and to see these things come to fruition.
“These players deserve it. They have they have been a part of a tidal wave of changing the landscape of the game. I’m thankful that they are living in this moment. And I’m thankful that I’m still part of it.”
No one has experienced the organization’s evolution more than Mitchell, who was drafted second overall in 2018. White is her fifth head coach. The team won six games her rookie year. They practiced at D1 Training and played home games at the Indiana State Fairgrounds and Hinkle Fieldhouse during Gainbridge Fieldhouse renovations. At times, only one concession stand was open.
She remembers earning $60,000 and knowing what it’s like to not really have money.
“I had to go stay with my parents for my first five years of my career,” she said. “So it’s humbling. You think about where you came from and where you’re at right now, and be like, “Shit, I guess I deserve to be here.” But I’ve embraced it.
“People think I’m rich, but I don’t know why.”
After posting just 49 wins across her first six seasons, the Fever have won 44 games over the past two years since Clark’s arrival.
They’re building something special — on the court and in the community.
Road games feel like home games.
Home games are sellouts and an expensive ticket.
Every game is available on TV, almost all airing on national TV.
They’re not just growing a brand — they’re helping lead the women’s sports movement. Just how Raines, Krauskopf, and others inside PS&E had hoped.
“Indy is just such a fun place to be,” said Boston, who enters her fourth season. “I think basketball that we’re playing here is great basketball. The people that we have here, this franchise, is amazing and I love playing with them.”
Mitchell acknowledged that she considered other options, but she kept being drawn back to Fever land.
“For all the right reasons, I knew Fever was a priority,” she said. “I knew that I wanted to kind of be a Fever girl again in a certain way. My relationships that I built with AB, CC, and even like Lexie and Sophie and all those guys — it was family vibes. So I couldn’t shake it and let it go.”
Now, she’s in the process of buying her first home.
When momentum toward a supermax deal began, she had a simple thought: “Damn, I get that money back.”
But more than anything, she kept coming back to gratitude.
The past two seasons have taken a toll. She lost her father before the 2024 season, and last year, she pushed her body to the limit — eventually being diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis. After numerous IVs, along with CT scans for review, she was cleared and feeling 100% a few weeks later.
Does that change her approach?
“Hell no,” she said.
There was room for humor, too — Mitchell smiling at the shifting market while appreciating where she stands in it.
“I don’t know if it’s league history after I see everybody else’s numbers now,” she said with a grin. “But I was grateful. It was humbling for me and my family. You guys know what I’ve been going through the last two or three years.
“It’s humbling because you see those kind of numbers and you don’t think it’s possible.”