Sparks star’s ill-timed joke steals a movement’s thunder.
Kelsey Plum Breaks Silence After Caitlin Clark, WNBA All-Star Drama originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The WNBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis last month was not just a setting for competition but for a striking moment that rippled across the league.
Los Angeles Sparks standout Kelsey Plum, who also serves as the players association first vice president, attempted levity after the game by pointing out that “zero members of Team Caitlin Clark” had been “very present” at a players-only meeting.
The remark. intended to be about Team Clark being hung over, fell flat as fans interpreted it as a fracture in solidarity at a moment when unity was needed.
Across media and social channels, the tension crystallized. A joke gone awry overshadowed a powerful protest as WNBA players sought increased visibility during their collective bargaining meetings.
On Sue Bird’s “Bird’s Eye View” podcast, Plum revisited the episode, calling it a “bad joke.” She explained she refrained from defending herself initially, sensing it would only fan the flames.
She expressed genuine disappointment that attention shifted from the players’ “Pay Us What You Owe Us” T-shirt protest to her misstep.
Kelsey Plum’s Press-Conference Comment Draws Fan Fire
In the postgame press session, Plum described the T-shirt moment as “very powerful,” emphasizing that players only learned about wearing the shirts that very morning, at a meeting meant to unify everyone around the collective bargaining agreement fight.
She then quipped, “Not to tattletale; zero members of Team Clark were very present for that.” Sabrina Ionescu, who was on Team Clark, visibly reacted with an eye roll and dryly sarcastically muttered, “That needed to be mentioned.”
Plum quickly followed, “I’m trying to make the situation light.” Despite her intent, fans pushed back, accusing her of throwing other players under the bus during a moment that needed unity.
In the podcast with Bird, Plum owned that the joke “didn’t land.”
She admitted that with hindsight, in the emotionally charged context of CBA negotiations and the T-shirt protest, she should have approached it with more caution rather than a carefree, “happy-go-lucky” tone.
She noted she had been enjoying a lighthearted weekend with her family in attendance and did not anticipate the backlash.
Reviewing the Fallout and Player Reactions
Plum’s reflections revealed her frustration that her comments eclipsed a broader, player-led push for fair pay. She said she held back from defending her remark because she feared it would make things worse.
On the heels of the All-Star weekend, fans and teammates alike called for more focus on the message of solidarity rather than the offhand comment.
Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham later leapt to Caitlin Clark’s defense on her podcast. She decried critics who downplayed Clark’s importance to the league and referenced the overheated reaction to Plum’s comment as unnecessary and overblown.
Cunningham affirmed that Clark remains the face of the WNBA and shouldered undue criticism in the moment.
Plum’s misjudged attempt at humor momentarily derailed a moment designed to showcase player solidarity. Now, voices like Cunningham’s are working to refocus the narrative on labor unity and the players’ fight for equity.
Related: 'I Just Want to Win a Championship': Angel Reese Gets Blunt Amid Sky’s Chaotic Season
Related: Fever’s Lexie Hull Hates It When Caitlin Clark Wins and Does This
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 15, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Basketball
