During the Fever’s end-of-season press conference on Saturday, Mitchell said that with the attention Caitlin Clark draws, she and her teammates get a lot of flak for being on the same team as Clark.O’Neal, having played in large and small markets next to superstars like Kobe Bryant throughout his career and dealt with criticism from fans, said Mitchell should take advantage of the attention."My advice is to take advantage of all the eyes that are.
If the eyes are on one person and you're next to that person, take advantage of them," O’Neal told OutKick in a recent interview.This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners.If you sign up or place a wager, FOX News may be compensated.
This content was created by a team that works independently from the FOX newsroom.CLICK HERE FOR MORE OUTKICK SPORTS COVERAGEKelsey Mitchell #0 of the Indiana Fever drives to the basket against the Minnesota Lynx on Aug.2, 2026, at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minn.
(NBAE via Getty Images)O’Neal reflected on his journey and the different markets he played in throughout his illustrious career."(I went to) a small high school, still being the No.1 player in the country, starting off in a small market, eventually going to a big market, but then returning back to a small market and win another championship," O’Neal said.Mitchell is a free agent at the end of the season and will be in high demand, as the 30-year-old has been an All-Star in each of the last four seasons and averaged a career-high 24.7 points per game this year.
While Mitchell praised the organization, her comments drew speculation about whether she may leave the franchise with which she has spent the first nine seasons of her career.O’Neal called Mitchell a "beautiful young lady and a fabulous young lady" and said he didn’t want to speak for her or about her to avoid breaking the athlete code, but he said he would advise her to stay in Clark’s orbit."I wish her well, but my advice if ...