RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 2 sourcesPuma Basketball athletes, including a rookie and a veteran, sat down with Puma's media team to discuss their basketball journeys, life beyond the court, and what the game means to them.
The WNBA's 30th season is halfway through after a historic attendance at the All-Star Game with 19,783 attendees on July 25. The second half of the season begins on July 28 with five games.
During All-Star Weekend, Puma released interviews with rookie guard Flau'jae Johnson and veteran guard Kelsey Mitchell . Both Johnson (signed in 2022) and Mitchell (signed in 2026) are Puma athletes and spoke on the 2026 season and life outside of it.
Johnson spoke about her future and how she is only in year one. "I'm scratching the surface on the pro level, like it's year 1, and look at the things I'm doing," she said on July 28.
On the flip side, Mitchell talked about balancing life in the WNBA while earning her PhD in Educational Leadership at Liberty University, a university in Lynchburg, Virginia.
"I'm a basketball player, please let me turn this in late," she said while smiling in her interview.
Johnson's WNBA 30th
Johnson, the Seattle Storm rookie, signed a multi-year six-figure deal through an NIL deal in 2022 for basketball before her freshman year at LSU. In 2026, Puma released her Player Edition (PE) sneaker, which is a customized sneaker from a shoe brand in a specific color-way for the player, in March 2026.
The Storm guard is currently averaging 13.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, and three assists while shooting 81.4 percent from the free-throw line. She has played and started in all 29 games that the franchise has played this season.
Seattle is going through a rebuild, which is centered around center Dominique Malonga, Jordan Horston, and Johnson. Johnson is leading the team in steals with 1.3 per game and is third in scoring on the team.
Mitchell's WNBA 30th
On the other hand, Mitchell's season has played out differently, as she is helping lead the Indiana Fever to a third consecutive playoff berth. She was drafted by the franchise in 2018 with the second overall pick.
Since the Fever guard was drafted, the franchise has only made the postseason twice. Before she was drafted, the franchise's last playoff appearance was in 2016.
Mitchell is averaging a career-high of 23.3 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists. She is also shooting career-high percentages from the field (49.8 percent) and three-point land (42.5 percent).
While the 5-foot-8 guard is averaging career-high numbers in points per game and shooting percentage, she is taking doctoral classes, which can be a full-time job for people in a doctoral program.
During the All-Star Game press conferences, her teammate Clark spoke about her teammate's ability to multitask and play at a high level. Even though Mitchell is in her prime, she is solidifying her career after basketball.
Indiana is leading the season series over Seattle 2-0, and the final meeting between the two teams will take place on July 28 at 9:30 p.m. EST.
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