Kelsey Plum's relentless attitude shines bright down under at the World Cup
Plum leaves Sydney as a World Cup champion and with a new legion of fans, thanks to her dogged determination.
Kelsey Plum in action at the 2022 FIBA Women’s World Cup. Photo credit: Michelle Couling Photography
Every time Team USA took to the court in Sydney at the 2022 FIBA Women’s World Cup, they entered the game with a star-studded starting lineup that would bring the heat from the opening tip. Just as important though, was the fact that the team possessed the ultimate energy player coming off the bench: Kelsey Plum.
Australian basketball fans who may not have known a lot about Plum’s game quickly realised what she brings to the court. Whenever USA’s first sub occurred, the roar for Plum entering the contest got louder with each passing game.
Regardless of whether Team USA was in a pitched battle or blowing out the opposition, Plum always had an immediate impact, and finished the tournament fifth in scoring (15.8ppg).
It’s just what Plum does. She never switches off, and perhaps the best example of that was in the gold medal game against China. Team USA held a 22-point lead with about 20 seconds remaining in the game, and whilst everyone else on the court was thinking about the medals that were going to be around their necks soon enough, Kelsey Plum wasn’t done.
She launched herself twice in a matter of seconds on the loose ball and would not be denied. It’s stuff like that that separates the good from the great, and that competitive nature is something that Plum has in spades.
I asked Plum about that play after the game and according to her, it’s all about making the most of her minutes.
“Hell yeah, ‘til the clock is over!” Plum said. “I represent [Team USA], take a lot of pride in it and I’m going to go out there and play as hard as I can for the minutes that I get and make an impact.
“I’m proud, not only to play for Team USA, but to wear number 5. I know who has worn that number before, so I make sure I come in and make an impact. This is the best team in the world and it’s the most difficult to make, and then on top of that, to come out and perform, I’m just really proud.
“I’m really proud of myself, I’m really proud of my teammates and it’s a great feeling.”
Plum has done a whole lot of winning since the Tokyo Olympics, where she was a member of the Team USA 3x3 squad that won gold. In fact, since the start of that Olympic campaign, Plum has won 61 of 79 games of basketball, whilst playing for Team USA at the Olympics (in 3x3) and the World Cup, with the Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA (including the All-Star game where she was named MVP) and Galatasaray in Europe.
When asked if she’ll ever get tired of winning, her response put it into perspective what was a rough start to her pro career with the then San Antonio Stars, who went 8-26 in her rookie season – a far cry from the 35-12 record of the Aces this season as they claimed the WNBA championship.
“It’s so funny because not even four years ago I lost a lot and it’s really nice to be on the other side of that,” she said. “It’s been a lot of hard work and great teammates, great coaches, a lot of work has gone into that. It’s an accumulation of years of building, so it’s been really cool to see the product of that this year.”
What also put Plum’s career, and life, into perspective was rupturing her Achilles in 2020. Known as one of the toughest injuries for an athlete to come back from, Plum came back better than ever and spoke about how she’s genuinely grateful for that brutal injury.
“I think it’s one of the best things that ever happened to me, just in life, not even in my career,” she said. “Mentally, physically, spiritually, I feel like I was given the opportunity to completely rebuild myself and come back. I’m just really grateful that that happened.”
Plum, who is now basically better known as ‘Plum Dawg’, lives the mantra of being a dog out there on the court and never taking a backwards step. The ‘Plum Dawg’ nickname has become somewhat of a phenomenon, so much so that fans bark at Plum and she took it to the next level when Tom Brady was at an Aces game earlier this year.
When the opportunity to meet her idol was there, Plum couldn’t pass it up and well, she tells the story best.
So how does barking at Tom Brady compare to winning World Cup Gold in terms of career highlights?
“Oh very different, very different experiences, but this is up there!” she laughed.
What made this World Cup in Sydney so special for all involved were the fans. Record-breaking attendance for the tournament was a credit to fans who travelled from far and wide, as well as the New South Wales basketball community getting around it too.
The gold medal game was a sellout with Chinese fans turning out in massive numbers to support their team. They created an extremely unique environment, and one that won’t be forgotten for a very long time by those who were in attendance.
Plum is used to playing is big games and revelled in the fact that USA fans were vastly outnumbered by Chinese fans.
“I loved it,” she said. “You know no one is rooting for us, no one will be rooting for us the next time we take the court either. That’s what people on this team are built for; hostile environments, competitors, no one is going to back down from a challenge, that’s why it’s great.”
Plum, along with her Las Vegas teammates A’ja Wilson and Chelsea Gray, arrived late to Sydney —missing Team USA’s first two games— after winning and celebrating the Aces’ WNBA championship, but from the moment they stepped into the team, everything clicked.
Understanding your role and prior experience playing together was key to the seamless transition.
“I think when you’re picked on this team you’ve got to be able to come in, do what you do and have a ton of confidence,” she said. “FIBA style is very different, but I think you’re given a role and you don’t have to play outside of yourself.
“We’ve been practicing and playing against each other for years, we’ve been banging all season against each other [in the WNBA], I’m just glad Alyssa Thomas is on my team and not against me, same with Breanna Stewart, you know what I’m saying!”
With no time to rest between the WNBA season and the World Cup, players from many teams raised their concerns about the impact of travelling from all part of the globe and then playing up to eight games in 10 days.
“It’s been a long couple of weeks, a great couple of weeks, but the amount of strain that, not just us but everyone, has put on their bodies, I mean I don’t know if FIBA gave a damn about anyone coming in,” she said. “It is what is and you’re handed these circumstances and I’m just really proud of the way that everyone came in and responded.”
Team USA celebrate their FIBA World Cup Championship. Photo credit: Michelle Couling Photography
Plum’s 2022 season is one for the history books: WNBA All-Star, WNBA All-Star Game MVP, All-WNBA First Team, WNBA Commissioner’s Cup champion, WNBA champion. Now, adding FIBA Women’s World Cup champion to the list feels like the final piece of the puzzle.
“It just feels complete,” she said. “On my list of things I wanted to accomplish this year, this was the final check so I’m just really proud of this team, proud of the way that we finished.
“It’s really hard to do what we did in terms of coming together late, not practicing, everyone is beat up physically and mentally, to come over here where we’re away from our family and friends, it’s a different time zone, people are just dogs and I’m just really proud to play next to people like that.”
