Indiana Fever waive 2021 top draft pick Kysre Gondrezick

The Indiana Fever have waived guard Kysre Gondrezick, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 WNBA Draft.

It’s the second consecutive season in which the team has waived its top draft pick. Lauren Cox, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 draft, was waived after just two seasons.

Indiana currently has the No. 2 pick in this year’s draft.
Gondrezick played 19 games during her rookie season, averaging 1.9 points in 9.1 minutes. She played in her last game with the Fever on July 11 before going on personal leave. She later revealed the break was for her mental health.

In November, Gondrezick explained in a Twitter post that after her father passed away in January 2021, she struggled and lost sight of “the fun in the game.”

“The pressure began to mount for what I considered my job as a facet of grieving,” she wrote. “I wasn’t present to the idea of efficiently knowing how to cope. I was so happy and proud of reaching one of my personal goals of playing in the WNBA, yet I lost sight of his presence, my focus, and ultimately, the fun in the game.”

She said she realized during the Olympic break that taking a step back was necessary so that she could seek help.

A graduate for West Virginia, Gondrezick was an All-Big 12 First Team selection as a senior, averaging 19.5 points, 4.5 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game.