Kelsey Plum: American Professional Basketball Player
Kelsey Plum is a rising star in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). Born in Poway, California, and attending La Jolla Country Day School for high school years; Kelsey currently represents Las Vegas Aces in WNBA play.
Plum is now placing more importance on her mental well-being with daily routines and the assistance of a full-time mental coach. She enjoys quiet time and practices gratitude regularly.
Kelsey Plum’s Biography
Kelsey Plum is an accomplished professional basketball player known for her scoring prowess and playmaking prowess. At the collegiate level, she held numerous records in scoring ability. Expectations were high that she’d continue this success into the WNBA with Las Vegas Aces until an accident tore her Achilles tendon during pickup play and threatened her future success.
Kelsey Plum had broken the NCAA scoring record three years prior and was set to compete at the Olympics with USA women’s national team when she was injured during a pickup game in Portland, Oregon. During that game she tore her Achilles’ tendon which would sideline her for most of the WNBA season; nonetheless, she still made it to the championship series against Seattle Storm before ultimately succumbing to injury and losing.
After her injury, Plum was forced to spend several months in Bradenton, Florida in isolation – an experience which revealed just how critical health and wellbeing are to a career. Determined not to let this setback break her spirit, she had to find ways to cope with stress and loneliness from being away from sports she so loved.
Plum was raised in an athletic family. Her mother, Katie, played volleyball at UC Davis while her father earned All-American status by playing football at both high school and college levels. Two Kaitlyn and Lauren also played volleyball while Daniel participated in football at UC Davis.
Kelsey Plum earned her place as a McDonald’s All-American thanks to an outstanding high school career, being selected as one of 25 players chosen to participate in the 2013 McDonald’s All-American Girls’ Game. While recruiting, many universities offered her scholarships including Maryland and Virginia on the East Coast; Cal, Gonzaga, and Oregon on the West Coast; however she decided on Washington; ultimately being rewarded by both an outstanding basketball career as well as life lessons off of it!
Kelsey Plum’s Career
Kelsey Plum was selected in 2017 during the first round of the WNBA draft and since has been playing with Las Vegas Aces WNBA team. She’s an excellent point guard who displays lots of talent; with an outstanding scoring average and is one of the premier shooters in the WNBA.
She earned a gold medal with the United States women’s national basketball team in 2021 and boasts an estimated net worth of $1 Million; most of her income comes from her professional basketball playing career while brand endorsements also bring some income to her account.
She achieved 695 points as a freshman for Washington and broke six freshman records during that year, becoming an All-American McDonald’s selection and earning Pac-12 Conference Rookie of the Year honors. Yet despite these remarkable numbers, she remained modest; attributing her success to hard work and dedication rather than pride or arrogance.
Kelsey’s hard work paid off when she became an integral component of the Huskies’ impressive NCAA Tournament run in 2013. Unfortunately, they fell to an even deeper Syracuse Orange team in the final round – however, her performance convinced many programs to offer her scholarships.
At the University of Washington, she played alongside other talented players. During this time she established herself as a leader among her teammates; becoming known for her aggressive defense and ability to get to the basket quickly.
Kelsey Plum was selected in the 2017 WNBA Draft by San Antonio Stars after graduating college, making her professional debut against Seattle Storm on May 25.
Since joining the WNBA, she has proven herself an outstanding scorer with her high shooting percentage and rebounding abilities. Furthermore, she is quick on her feet with an effective passing game, is a fan favorite, and boasts an extensive following online. Not to mention her unique cannon arm which regularly launches free T-shirts into crowds at her games – something her fans enjoy immensely!
Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA
Plum, the former University of Washington star, has proven herself an exceptional point guard in the WNBA since joining Las Vegas Aces as their starting point guard in 2017. Since 2017, she has helped elevate them into one of the league’s premier teams through her stellar play. Furthermore, she is an outspoken advocate for family, faith, mental health awareness, and giving back to her community; most recently launching Dawg Class Camp through Under Armour designed to assist college players make a smoother transition into pro ball.
Plum has been on an amazing run this season and appears to be in her peak form. Averaging 20.2 points per game for the Aces and leading their league in assists, she has also improved her shooting percentages significantly this year – something which likely plays into her success this year.
Even after an underwhelming start to the season, the Aces have quickly emerged as one of the premier teams in the league. Unbeaten and with an outstanding record so far this year, they are led by Kelsey Plum, A’ja Wilson, and Dearica Hamby and supported by Nicole Powell, Jessica Breslin, and Jackie Young for maximum impact.
This weekend, the Aces will take on Phoenix Mercury at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Sin City. The Aces are favorites to win this game due to their excellent home record and one of the strongest cores in the league; Plum has been in incredible form this year and may score plenty of points against them.
Kelsey Plum has become increasingly outspoken about WNBA issues, addressing what she called a “huge misconception” regarding pay gaps last November and making her feelings known this week after being left off Team Wilson for this weekend’s All-Star Game. Still, she remains one of the league’s fan favorites and an exciting player – she will look to continue this excellent performance at this weekend’s All-Star Game!
Kelsey Plum’s Personal Life
Kelsey Plum, the point guard of the Las Vegas Aces of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), married Darren Waller, tight end for the Raiders in a beautiful wedding ceremony last weekend in Las Vegas. Even with their busy schedules, this couple found time to celebrate with friends and family despite all of their commitments as professional athletes; although both recognize the significance of giving back to their communities while encouraging others to pursue their goals. Plum and Waller share an understanding of fame’s pressures while prioritizing groundedness over any other factor when making decisions together – an understanding shared by both individuals as professional athletes themselves!
Since their first date last year, Plum and Layton have kept their relationship relatively quiet; applying for a marriage license on January 22. She helped Washington Huskies win a national title while receiving Player of the Month honors after recording the highest average points per game in league play during the 2021 season. Layton was selected first overall in the 2017 WNBA draft by San Antonio Stars which later relocated and became Aces franchise in Las Vegas.
As part of her tenure with the team, she has earned four WNBA All-Star appearances and earned a silver medal at the 2021 Pan American Games. In 2022 she led her Aces team to an all-time franchise record and was honored as WNBA Most Outstanding Player. Additionally, she is a three-time All-Star, was selected as All-Defensive Team Captain twice (in 2021 and 2022 seasons), and was named to All-Rookie Teams three times during her time.
Plum has enjoyed immense professional success but she remains true to her roots. She remains deeply dedicated to supporting young girls from underserved areas through her foundation while being actively involved in social justice initiatives and speaking publicly about those that affect both herself and her teammates.
Kelsey Plum is not only known for her charitable endeavors but is also an energetic entrepreneur. Recently she announced her partnership with Under Armour to launch the “Plum Dawg Class” camp – a weekend training program focusing on both on-court skills and life lessons for amateur female basketball players.
