Kelsey Mitchell signs with PUMA, joins Tyrese Haliburton's Hali franchise
After wearing Tyrese Haliburton’s Hali 1s all season, Mitchell officially signed with PUMA Basketball on Monday.
Kelsey Mitchell re-signed with the Indiana Fever in the offseason, but she also became a sneaker free agent.
The three-time WNBA All-Star from Ohio has played for one team since Indiana drafted her in 2018, but now she’s elected to join a new team off the court.
Mitchell signed an endorsement deal with PUMA Basketball, the company announced on Monday. More specifically, with the Hali franchise.
As in Tyrese Haliburton, the Pacers All-Star guard who also wears No. 0. His first signature shoe, the Hali 1s, became available about nine months ago. That’s a credit to PUMA because it was less than a year after they signed Haliburton to a signature athlete contract.
Like Haliburton, Mitchell previously wore Nike.
“This partnership felt authentic from the start,” Mitchell said. “PUMA continues to push basketball culture forward in a creative and meaningful way. Being connected to a brand that values self-expression, performance, and community means a lot to me. Seeing the success Tyrese has had with the Hali shoe from day one I’m excited to team up with him and PUMA to trail blaze the Hali franchise into the women’s game.”
Since the start of training camp, Mitchell has worn different colorways of the Hali 1 shoes. She’s worn them in every game, so working toward a deal made sense.
I asked her about being a sneaker free agent back on Fever media day two months ago since she chose to wear a pair of Hali 1s for the hundreds of photos and videos captured.
“I love Tyrese Haliburton as a person, even more as a player,” she said. “I’m just kind of like figuring some things out and trying some things out. But I said, ‘Why not?’
“In the city of Indianapolis, with a guy like Tyrese Haliburton and all of the things he’s done for the Pacers, it was only right to see where I’m at. Puma feels really good today, so shout-out to Tyrese.”
Mitchell, 30, has appeared in every Fever game this season. She is averaging 21.6 points per game for Indiana (11-8), which ranks third in the WNBA. Last season, she finished fifth in MVP voting.
She’s soon expected to be voted an WNBA All-Star for the fourth consecutive season. And this past offseason, she stayed in the United States and played in Unrivaled.
“Kelsey represents everything we value at PUMA Hoops - confidence, competitiveness, individuality, and a genuine connection to the game,” said Archie McEachern, VP of PUMA Basketball. “Her impact on and off the court continues to grow, and we’re excited to welcome her to the family.”
Haliburton has sat courtside in the same seats for the majority of Fever home games this season. He’s a basketball junkie. He’s close friends with Caitlin Clark, and he immediately connected with Mitchell too.
Haliburton has posted on social media about Mitchell wearing his shoes a few times this season, including a post over the weekend. That caught my attention.
Then on Monday, it was Haliburton who announced the news with a video that featured both of them. It was directed by Sam Snowden and produced by Haliburton’s personal videographer, Zachery Massung.
The caption to the video: “You family now.”
“Kelsey is one of the toughest competitors I know and somebody who has always stayed true to herself,” said Haliburton. “She’s earned everything through hard work and consistency, and I’m excited to see the contribution she will make to the Hali franchise as part of the PUMA family. The game continues to grow because of players like her.”
Mitchell and Haliburton are alike in many ways. They’re guards for Indiana, both wearing No. 0. They love the game, talking ball — and family is everything.
Now Mitchell joins Haliburton in wearing PUMA and helping grow the Hali franchise.