The professional women’s basketball league’s annual exhibition contest garnered attention last month when each participant sported a “Pay Us What You Owe Us” top prior to tipoff, displaying cohesion as labor agreement talks continue. Later, participant Kelsey Plum stirred up debate following the contest.
Speaking to reporters in the aftermath of a 151-131 triumph for her Team Collier group, Plum indicated that “None of the Team Clark members were particularly present” during the gathering. She presented it as humorous, chuckling alongside teammate Sabrina Ionescu, who sarcastically added, “That should definitely be mentioned.”
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That remark gained sufficient notoriety that the Los Angeles Sparks athlete addressed the subject during an appearance on Sue Bird’s “Bird’s Eye View” webcast released Friday.
Bird broached the topic by portraying the remark as a “joke” that “became misconstrued,” a sentiment with which Plum concurred. She then acknowledged it might not have been the most appropriate joke, considering the seriousness of the situation, and expressed regret regarding the detrimental impact of the response on the dialogue:
“I delivered a poor joke. A seriously poor joke … And I should have — well, in retrospect, considering the tops, considering the supporters — I should have recognized it was a much more significant occasion than a typical exhibition contest, as I entered that press conference feeling upbeat about our victory. It was a fantastic weekend; my family was present; it was simply a wonderful time.
“Questions arose concerning the labor agreement, and honestly, Birdie, it was like, ‘Hey, Team Clark, they didn’t attend the gathering, either.’ Just making a lighthearted quip that they were dealing with the aftereffects of a night out, attempting to inject levity into the room … I was joking that they were feeling the effects, even though our team’s informal designation was ‘hungover.’ So I said, ‘At least we showed up.’
“Evidently, we’re all aligned. We all wore the tops. Essentially, we’re united. If anything, I felt more discouraged because I believed it detracted from the significance of what we were trying to achieve. You don’t even have the opportunity to respond, and if you do, you appear defensive.”
Plum is among the heads of the Women’s National Basketball Players Association in the role of its first vice president, with only president Nneka Ogwumike holding a higher position within the players’ representation.
The players association and the league are nearing the conclusion of the current labor agreement on Oct. 31. If they fail to reach a revised agreement by then, they will confront a work stoppage that could jeopardize the 2026 season. Even prior to displaying the tops, the players had voiced discontent with the status of the negotiations, notably concerning the league’s impending revenue of $200 million annually from its new television contracts.
A two-time professional champion with the Las Vegas Aces, Plum is currently in her initial season with the Sparks and holds a spot within the top 5 league-wide in points, assists, and successful 3-point shots per game.
