Kelsey Plum Sheds Light on Perceived All-Star Game Jab at Caitlin Clark

As collective bargaining agreement negotiations between the players' union and commissioner Cathy Englebert and team ownership representatives took center stage during the WNBA's All-Star Weekend, the players took the opportunity to send a clear message to the league. In a show of unity, the players took the court for the All-Star Game wearing black shirts with the words, 'Pay Us What You Owe Us' written on the front.

After the game, Los Angeles Sparks star Kelsey Plum, in some odd comments, singled out Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark and Team Clark for apparently not showing up to a meeting in which the players were planning the shirt demonstration. It was perceived as a slight towards Clark, especially on social media.

KP: "It was a very powerful moment. As players, we didn't know that that was going to happen. It was a genuine surprise. The t shirt was determined this morning. Not to tattletale: 0 members of Team Clark were very present for that" https://t.co/2fXgaAuqMR pic.twitter.com/awIfnqLjxv
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) July 20, 2025

But during an appearance on the Bird's Eye View podcast with Sue Bird, Plum clarified that she had meant no ill will towards Clark with the comments and that it was a "bad joke."

"And I should have—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," Plum said in response to Bird's suggestion that she was simply trying to make a joke.

"Because I went into that press conference very, like, happy-go-lucky we won, you know? And had a great weekend. My family was here. It was just a great time. The questions came in, and [it] was like, 'CBA, this, this, this.' It was like, 'Hey, Team Clark, they didn't make it to the meeting.' I was making a joke that they were hungover, even though our team nickname was 'hungover.' So it was like, 'At least we made it [to the meeting]."

Plum felt her joke, while intended to lighten the mood of the room, backfired and detracted from the moment.

"Obviously, we're all on the same page," Plum said. "We all wore the shirts. Like, we're all unified. And I think, if anything, I was just more discouraged because I felt like it took away from the moment of what we were trying to do."