Kelsey Plum Returns to Las Vegas in Emotional Sparks Loss


Kelsey Plum walked into Michelob Ultra Arena Friday night as a visitor for the first time. The crowd didn’t see her that way.

Kelsey Plum Sparks vs Aces 2025
(Photo by Jeff Bottari/NBAE via Getty Images)

Signs reading “Once an Ace, Always an Ace” were scattered throughout the stands. When Plum appeared on the video board during pregame introductions, the crowd erupted in applause. She smiled, then embraced former teammate A’ja Wilson in a moment filled with warmth, reflection — and competition.

“It’s going to be great to compete against them,” Plum said before the game. “I’ve been on their team for so long. I feel like we know each other so well. It’s really going to be a battle of the minds.”

The reunion didn’t go quite as Plum had envisioned. The Las Vegas Aces defeated the Los Angeles Sparks 96–81 in front of a sellout crowd of 10,504. Plum, in her first game back in Las Vegas since being traded in the offseason, led the Sparks with 17 points, but struggled to find rhythm. She shot 6-of-19 from the field, went 1-of-7 from beyond the arc, committed five turnovers and four fouls, and finished with a minus-21 rating.

“I was frustrated in myself,” Plum said postgame. “I didn’t have any legs. They did a great job defensively.”

Kelsey Plum Faces New Chapter in Los Angeles

Traded in a three-team deal that brought Jewell Loyd to Las Vegas from Seattle, Kelsey Plum has stepped into a featured offensive role in Los Angeles. Through seven games, she is averaging 24.0 points, 1.9 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 2.4 steals per game — establishing herself as one of the league’s top perimeter threats.

Plum spent seven seasons with the Aces franchise after being drafted No. 1 overall in 2017, first by the San Antonio Stars before the team relocated to Las Vegas. She was a three-time WNBA All-Star, the 2022 All-Star Game MVP, and earned All-WNBA First Team honors during a breakout 2022 season in which she averaged 20.2 points and 5.1 assists per game.

She helped lead the Aces to back-to-back championships in 2022 and 2023, the league’s first repeat title run in over two decades, and won gold medals with Team USA in both 3×3 and 5×5 basketball at the Olympics. In 235 career regular season games, Plum averaged 14.3 points and 4.0 assists while shooting 39% from deep, and she elevated her game in the postseason with 17.4 points per game across 35 playoff appearances.

Kelsey Plum’s Legacy With the Las Vegas Aces

Known for her fire, leadership and playmaking versatility, Plum became one of the most accomplished and beloved players in franchise history — and now brings that legacy to Los Angeles.

Despite her scoring role, Plum downplayed the idea that she’s now the face of the Sparks franchise.

“People get caught up in the ‘face of,’” she said. “That was not my intention. I think for me in L.A., it was more going for a fresh start and an opportunity to be able to do it in a different way and have the ball in my hands a little bit more. I’m a dynamic player. I make plays. I can pass. I can score. So I just wanted a little bit more opportunity to do that.”

“I’m trying to win games and affect winning. We’ve still got to do that at a high level, so that’s really where my focus is on more than anything.”

Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts emphasized the veteran guard’s experience and leadership.

“She’s won everywhere she’s been,” Roberts said. “She was a key part of Vegas, their success. … She’s ready for that point in her career, and she’s earned it.”

Frustration and Familiarity

In the second quarter, Plum fell to the floor on a contested play and drew a foul on Aces guard Jackie Young. Las Vegas challenged the call, and the ruling was overturned — the replay showing that Young had not pushed Plum. Later in the third quarter, Plum was whistled for a technical foul after arguing another call.

Afterward, Plum acknowledged the emotion of the moment but also pointed to a clear physical disadvantage. The Sparks were playing their seventh game since May 16; the Aces had not played since Sunday.

“I think that you gotta come out and see what the defense is doing and try to take advantage of it, and I was really proud,” Plum said. “I thought Odyssey [Sims] came out, she was aggressive. I think the thing is that we continue, like Coach said, to get more cohesion and stuff. The best thing that I can do is set screens, move without the ball, get my teammates open, and the defense then has to adjust.”

The loss dropped Los Angeles to 2–5 on the season. The Sparks haven’t posted a winning record since 2020, but Roberts is focused on building long-term culture.

“It’s really hard not to be outcome-driven,” Roberts said. “We have to be process-driven.”

She added: “That’s been something that we have struggled with, and we’ve got to do that. I do think tonight we played with urgency. We just kind of made some mistakes, self-inflicted mistakes. A team like Vegas is gonna make you pay every time, and they did. Every offensive rebound they got in the first half, they converted. They had 14 second half points, those types of things.”

From Cornerstone to Challenger

Plum helped the Aces win back-to-back WNBA championships in 2022 and 2023, becoming the first team to repeat since the Sparks in 2001 and 2002. She was a three-time All-Star and instrumental in turning Las Vegas into a championship franchise. But with three-time MVP A’ja Wilson leading the way, Plum was never positioned as the team’s central figure.

In Los Angeles, she has more freedom — and more responsibility. Even so, she doesn’t see a rivalry forming between her new team and her former one just yet.

“They’ve kicked our [butt],” Plum said. “We’d need to win at least six or seven more matchups, respectfully, for it to be a rivalry. It’s like the Giants and the Jets.”

Wilson dominated the game with 35 points, 13 rebounds, six assists, three steals, and three blocks — becoming the first player in WNBA history to reach those numbers in a single game.

“Every time we made a mistake, they made us pay,” Roberts said. “A team like Vegas is gonna make you pay every time, and they did.”

Los Angeles got efficient production from Odyssey Sims (15 points), Dearica Hamby (14 points, 10 rebounds, six assists), and Azurá Stevens (10 points, 10 rebounds). The Sparks shot 47.0% from the field and recorded a season-high 38 rebounds, but 18 turnovers helped the Aces maintain control throughout.

As for Plum, the return to Las Vegas was emotional, imperfect, and revealing — a reminder of what she built and what lies ahead.





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