Kysre Gondrezick Explains Why She Stepped Away from WNBA After 2021 Olympic Break

Indiana Fever guard Kysre Gondrezick explained that she stepped away from the WNBA during her rookie season for mental health reasons in a social media post on Monday.

"After losing my father, the pressure began to mount for what I considered my job as a facet of grieving, I wasn't present to the idea of efficiently knowing how to cope," she wrote. "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 added, "For the last five months, I placed a pause on social life and additional activities to get the help and support for my mental health and well-being."

The Fever selected Gondrezick with the No. 4 overall pick of the 2021 WNBA draft.

She played collegiately for the Michigan Wolverines and West Virginia Mountaineers and was a second-team All-Big Ten selection before transferring to the Big 12 program. She continued her success at West Virginia as a two-time all-conference selection.

Gondrezick appeared in 19 contests as a rookie and averaged 1.9 points, 1.0 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 0.4 steals per game.

Her father, Grant, died in January.

The Phoenix Suns selected Grant Gondrezick with a fourth-round pick in the 1986 NBA draft. He played for the Suns and the Los Angeles Clippers during his NBA career.

As for the Fever, they went 6-26 during the 2021 campaign.