Kelsey Plum Bio
Kelsey Christine Plum, born August 24, 1994, is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and for Phantom of Unrivaled. Nicknamed “Plum Dawg,” she is a four-time WNBA All-Star and was named the WNBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player in 2022. Plum won gold medals with the United States in 3×3 basketball in 2020 and in 5×5 basketball in 2024. She is also the founder of the Dawg Class basketball camp.
Plum was selected first overall in the 2017 WNBA draft by the San Antonio Stars, later renamed the Las Vegas Aces. With the Aces, she won back-to-back WNBA championships in 2022 and 2023 and earned her first All-WNBA First Team selection in 2022. A point guard known for her scoring ability, she retired her No. 10 jersey at the University of Washington after finishing as the NCAA Division I women’s all-time leading scorer.
Early Life and Background
Kelsey Christine Plum was born on August 24, 1994, in Poway, California. She is the daughter of Katie and Jim Plum. Her mother was an accomplished volleyball player for the University of California, Davis, and her father earned All-American football honors and set the CIF San Diego Section career passing yardage mark at Helix High School in La Mesa, California, before playing football and baseball collegiately at San Diego State.
Plum has two older sisters and a younger brother. Both sisters followed in their mother’s footsteps and played volleyball, with Kaitlyn competing for UC Davis and Lauren playing for the University of Oregon and USA Volleyball’s Junior National Team. Her younger brother Daniel played football at UC Davis. Plum, who has dyslexia, repeated fourth grade after transferring from a Montessori school, a decision she has said helped her eventually thrive.
Plum initially played volleyball in the USA Volleyball junior system but chose basketball over volleyball when she enrolled at La Jolla Country Day School, where her sister Kaitlyn had also played. The same high school had produced WNBA veteran Candice Wiggins years earlier. Plum later embraced a Christian faith and is of Irish descent, though she has adopted the playful nickname “Puerto Rican Princess” during her professional career.
Path to Basketball
At La Jolla Country Day School, Plum became one of the most decorated high school players in California history, scoring 2,247 career points and averaging 19.9 points per game. She recorded 677 rebounds, 381 assists, and 370 steals across her four years, leading her team to a 103–22 record, four section titles, and the 2012 CIF Division IV state championship. She was named a McDonald’s All-American and Ms. Basketball by CalHiSports, joining past winners such as Diana Taurasi and Courtney Paris.
Plum also competed in AAU basketball for the San Diego Sol and participated in the 2013 WBCA High School All-America Game. After considering Maryland, Virginia, Cal, Gonzaga, and Oregon, she chose to play college basketball at the University of Washington, where she would develop into one of the greatest scorers in NCAA history.
Kelsey Plum Career
Early Career (2013–2017)
Plum arrived at the University of Washington eager to begin, flying directly to Seattle after winning a gold medal with the USA Basketball U19 team in Lithuania in 2013. Head coach Mike Neighbors, impressed by her work ethic, made her team captain before her freshman season, a rare honor for a first-year player. She set six Washington freshman records, including total points (695) and single-game high (38), while earning Pac-12 Freshman of the Year honors.
Across her four seasons, Plum became the Pac-12’s all-time leading scorer regardless of gender, set the NCAA Division I women’s career scoring record with 3,527 points, and set the NCAA single-season scoring record with 1,109 points as a senior. She won the John R. Wooden Award, Naismith College Player of the Year, AP Player of the Year, Wade Trophy, Nancy Lieberman Award, and Dawn Staley Award in 2017 while also helping Washington reach the Final Four as a junior. On January 18, 2025, her No. 10 jersey was retired at the University of Washington.
WNBA Breakthrough (2017–2021)
Plum was selected as the first overall pick of the 2017 WNBA draft by the San Antonio Stars, the same school that produced the first overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft. She made her debut on May 25, 2017, against the Dallas Wings and finished the year on the WNBA All-Rookie Team after averaging 8.5 points. In 2018, the Stars relocated to Las Vegas and were renamed the Las Vegas Aces, where Plum steadily expanded her role.
After an Achilles injury cost her the 2020 season, Plum returned in 2021 to win WNBA Sixth Player of the Year, averaging 14.8 points, 3.6 assists, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.0 steals on 38.6 percent shooting from three. She signed a two-year contract extension with the Aces in May 2020 worth $350,000, signaling her growing importance to the franchise.
Las Vegas Aces Era (2018–2024)
In 2022, Plum moved into the starting lineup and averaged career highs of 20.2 points, 5.1 assists, and 2.7 rebounds while earning her first All-Star selection. She scored 30 points in the All-Star Game en route to MVP honors and helped Las Vegas win its first WNBA championship, sweeping the Connecticut Sun in the Finals. She was also named to the All-WNBA First Team and won the Commissioner’s Cup that year.
The Aces repeated as WNBA champions in 2023, with Plum contributing as a key starter and winning the WNBA Skills Challenge Championship. She earned All-Star nods each year from 2022 through 2025, cementing her place among the league’s top guards. On January 31, 2025, Plum was traded to the Los Angeles Sparks in a three-team deal involving the Aces and Seattle Storm, ending her Aces tenure.
Los Angeles Sparks Era (2025–Present)
Plum joined the Los Angeles Sparks ahead of the 2025 season, joining a young core looking to return to playoff contention. She re-signed with the club on April 12, 2026, on a one-year, $999,999 contract, reflecting her continued status as one of the league’s most respected guards. As she transitioned teams, Plum also returned to the Unrivaled 3-on-3 league, being drafted by Phantom BC for the 2026 season after sitting out the 2025 edition.
Driving Style and Strengths
Plum is a quick, sharpshooting point guard whose strengths include deep three-point range, attacking closeouts, and running an offense with tempo. She excels in the pick-and-roll and has developed into a reliable free-throw shooter, finishing her career with elite efficiency from the line. Her combination of speed, court vision, and competitive edge makes her especially effective in transition and in late-clock situations.
Notable Events and Milestones
Plum’s signature moment came on February 25, 2017, when she scored a Pac-12-record 57 points against Utah, breaking Jackie Stiles’ NCAA Division I women’s career scoring record. She captured Olympic gold with Team USA in 3×3 basketball at the 2020 Tokyo Games and again in 5×5 basketball at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She is also a two-time WNBA champion (2022, 2023) and a 2022 WNBA All-Star Game MVP.
Kelsey Plum Career Wins
Across her professional career, Kelsey Christine Plum has captured championships in the WNBA, the Turkish Super League, and on the international stage with USA Basketball. Her trophy case includes two WNBA titles with the Las Vegas Aces, two Turkish Super League championships with Fenerbahçe, a Turkish Cup, and Olympic gold medals in both 3×3 and 5×5 basketball.
WNBA Highlights
Plum is a two-time WNBA champion with the Las Vegas Aces, winning back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023. She is a four-time WNBA All-Star (2022–2025) and a one-time WNBA All-Star Game MVP (2022), and she also captured a WNBA Skills Challenge Championship in 2023. Her breakthrough WNBA Finals appearance came in 2022, when the Aces swept the Connecticut Sun to claim the franchise’s first championship.
Other Wins and Performances
Plum won consecutive Turkish Super League championships with Fenerbahçe in 2018 and 2019, adding a Turkish Cup title and a Turkish Cup Finals MVP award in 2018. She later joined Galatasaray in January 2022, averaging 26.5 points across six games in the Women’s Basketball Super League. Internationally, she helped the United States win gold at the 2013 FIBA U19 World Championship and represented the U.S. at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto.
Kelsey Plum Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Plum comes from a deeply athletic family rooted in Southern California. Her mother, Katie Plum, was a standout volleyball player at the University of California, Davis, and her father, Jim Plum, was an All-American football player at Helix High School who went on to play both football and baseball at San Diego State. Both of her older sisters, Kaitlyn and Lauren, played competitive volleyball, while her younger brother Daniel played football at UC Davis.
Personal Life
On March 4, 2023, Plum married NFL tight end Darren Waller. The couple filed for divorce on April 23, 2024. Plum is a Christian who has spoken publicly about her faith, her battle with depression, and her advocacy for mental health awareness. She is also a first vice president of the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) and runs the Dawg Class basketball camp, while also developing her own cigar brand.
2025 Season Performance
Kelsey Christine Plum began the 2025 WNBA season with the Los Angeles Sparks following her January 31 trade from the Las Vegas Aces. Reunited on a young roster looking to build a new identity, she served as a veteran leader and primary scoring option from the point guard position. The trade marked the end of her seven-year run in Las Vegas, where she had won two championships and established herself as one of the league’s premier guards.
Throughout the season, Plum continued to produce at an All-Star level, leveraging her deep shooting range and pick-and-roll savvy to stabilize a developing backcourt. Her consistency and experience helped the Sparks stay competitive in a deep Western Conference, even as the team worked to integrate new pieces around her. Off the floor, she balanced her WNBA duties with national team commitments, having been named to the U.S. squad for the 2024 Paris Olympics the previous summer.
Looking ahead, Plum re-signed with the Sparks on April 12, 2026, on a one-year, $999,999 contract, and was drafted by Phantom BC for the 2026 Unrivaled season. With her scoring pedigree, championship experience, and ongoing leadership role in the WNBPA, she remains central to Los Angeles’s long-term plans and to the broader growth of women’s basketball.
