The WNBA gave us two stunning ankle-breakers in two days. Saturday, Kelsey Mitchell shook a defender in Atlanta and hit a three; Sunday, Kaitlyn Chen made a six-time All-Star lose her shoe in Las Vegas.
That raises the question: which ankle-breaker was more impressive?
The Case for Kelsey Mitchell
In the second quarter at State Farm Arena, Mitchell isolated on the left wing, dribbled past Atlanta's Te-Hina Paopao with a quick crossover, causing Paopao's ankles to buckle. Mitchell then paused briefly before confidently sinking a 3-pointer while Paopao was trying to recover.
an ankle breaker and a "YOU BET!" on the same play 🫣😤
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) June 21, 2026
Kelsey Mitchell is like that. pic.twitter.com/zQvQp9oFGw
The clip went viral, with Emmanuel Acho captioning it "KELSEY MITCHELL MY GOODNESS!!! She has a family!!" and Paopao just laughed it off after the game. The only caveat is the scoreboard: Indiana lost 113-96, with Atlanta earning their second win over the Fever in three days. Nonetheless, a slick ankle-breaker followed by a 3-pointer remains impressive regardless of the final score.
Mitchell scored 16 points on 5-of-13 shooting in 32 minutes, which was a quiet night for her. She is averaging 20.9 points per game this season, making such moves seem routine.
The Case for Kaitlyn Chen
The moment was particularly impressive for Chen. At Michelob ULTRA Arena, the Valkyries were overwhelmed by the Aces, and Chen, a second-year guard from UConn, drove left-to-right past Jewell Loyd. Loyd, a six-time All-Star known for her tough on-ball defense, was no easy matchup. Nevertheless, Chen's crossover was so precise that Loyd's right shoe got knocked off. As she hopped around with only half her shoe, Chen had already made her move, lofting the ball over the helpless defender and gently scoring.
Kaitlyn Chen crossover makes Jewell Loyd lose her shoepic.twitter.com/71Lqz635Nr
— Underdog WNBA (@UnderdogWNBA) June 21, 2026
She didn't put Loyd on the ground, so it's not a straightforward "both ankles" job. But the shoe, against that defender, carries its own degree of difficulty. Chen finished with 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting in 24 minutes off the bench. She is averaging 6.5 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.6 assists across 17 games this season, and she has been ruthlessly efficient when she plays, shooting 53.1% from the field and 50% from three.
The Verdict
It's a close call. Mitchell's move is the classic ankle-breaker: defender gets dropped, shooter pulls for three without hesitation, and knocks it down. However, Chen's play stands out for its surprise factor, as shaking a six-time All-Star out of her shoes and finishing over a help defender is more challenging than dropping a younger guard on an iso.
Regardless, the creativity from WNBA guards is on full display nightly. Within two nights, two pairs of ankles got rolled, and one shoe was left on the floor.
Your call: whose was nastier?
