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Indiana Fever All-Pro point guard Caitlin Clark has been the face of the WNBA since entering the league as the number one overall pick in the 2024 draft. Unfortunately, Clark has been sidelined since just before the All-Star break with a groin injury.
During that All-Star break, the league’s stars wore shirts that read “Pay Us What You Owe Us,” sending a clear message ahead of the looming collective bargaining negotiations set to begin after the 2025 season.
In a press conference after the All-Star game, Los Angeles Sparks point guard Kelsey Plum made a comment revealing that Caitlin Clark’s Team Clark did not appear at the meeting where it was decided that they would wear the shirt.
Now, Plumm is walking back her initial comments.
“I made a bad joke,” said Plum, according to Awful Announcing. “I made a really bad joke. Tough one. Hindsight is 20/20. Because of the shirts, because of the fans, I should have known it was a way more serious moment than a typical All-Star Game. I went into that press conference very happy-go-lucky, we won, had a great weekend. My family was here; it was just a great time. The questions came in, and they were like CBA, this, this. And honestly, I was like, ‘Hey, Team Clark, they didn’t make it to the meeting either.’ Just making a joke to make the room lighter.
“I was making a joke that they’re hungover, even though our team nickname was hungover. So at least we made it. Obviously, we’re all on the same page. We all wore the shirts, we’re all unified. If anything, I was more discouraged because it took away from the moment of what we were trying to do. You don’t even get to respond. And if you do, you seem defensive. That’s why I didn’t even say anything. I was like, alright. So, you just have to let it go, thick skin.”
Fans reacted to Plum on social media.
“No one believes this, she clearly was motivated by animus towards Clark,” one fan wrote on Twitter.
“I’m no big Caitlin fan, but imagine if golf treated Tiger Woods like women’s basketball has treated Clark. Golfers would be a lot less rich, that’s for sure. WNBA has a golden goose, & female basketballers have taken to jealousy & bitterness to make the whole sport look awful,” someone else added.
“No one will remember Kelsey when she retires. Clark is getting a statue someday and historians will chronicle how she pushed women’s sports further along,” another fan wrote.
It’ll be interesting to see if Clark responds to Plum’s attempt to clear the air.
