Los Angeles Sparks guard Kelsey Plum, one of the most popular players in the WNBA, recently made headlines for all the wrong reasons. Plum was not her best self in the Sparks’ recent loss to the Golden State Valkyries.
The two-time WNBA champion played 34 minutes of the game, but could only muster four points, assists, and rebounds each. Moreover, she got hit with a flagrant one foul in the fourth quarter of the game.
WNBA Fans Unhappy With Kelsey Plum
With a little less than four minutes left in the game, Plum appeared to kick the legs of the Valkyries’ Veronica Burton intentionally. Both players went down, and Burton confronted Plum about the foul before teammates intervened.
The referee first called a normal foul on Plum but upgraded it to a flagrant one after review, resulting in Burton getting three free throws. Burton made the first two throws and caught the rebound of the third, assisting teammate Temi Fagbenle for a layup.
At the time of the foul, the Valkyries were leading 68-53, and Plum’s costly mistake resulted in a 19-point lead for her opponents. The sports ultimately lost the game 72-59.
Fans on social media were not impressed by Plum’s foul on Burton. They made their feelings known on the platform.
“Dirty play, should be an ejection,” one fan said.
Dirty play, should be an ejection
— Zac (@ZacShaneRock) August 10, 2025
“Cheap shot… surprising from a low-class player? No,” another wrote.
Cheap shot… surprising from a low class player? No
— GoPens (@5timechampions) August 10, 2025
“Dirty player,” one user noted.
Dirty player
— LAD2024WSC (@CCFC_LAD_LARAMS) August 10, 2025
“She should have been ejected; blatant kick,” another reacted.
She should have been ejected; blatant kick
— Dai Nguyen (@daing95) August 10, 2025
Despite the fan backlash, Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts defended Plum during the postgame press conference.
“As for the flagrant, she was trying to kick the ball,” Roberts said. “I didn’t see the replay, but I saw it live, and I know she didn’t mean anything by it. She’s not a dirty player.”
As for her performance, Roberts admitted that Plum didn’t have the best of games but pointed out that the whole team underperformed.
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“Kelsey had a tough shooting night, but she’s not alone in that. There’s more pressure on her because the expectations are high. People don’t expect her to have off nights,” Lynn said.
“Credit to the other team, though. They were physical, and any time she got into the paint, there were bodies waiting. I thought she did a good job kicking it out, but we just missed those shots, so I’m not too worried,” she added.
With the loss, the Sparks lost their number eight spot, and the Valkyries moved a game ahead of them in the points table. Up next for the Sparks is a matchup against the Connecticut Sun, who are at the bottom of the table.
