“I Made A Really Bad Joke”: Caitlin Clark Dragged Into Kelsey Plum’s Confession Over All-Star Team Dig

Kelsey Plum thought her light jab at Caitlin Clark during WNBA All-Star Weekend would slide, but it quickly drew backlash.

Plum earned her fourth All-Star nod this year and suited up for Team Collier, who went on to beat Team Clark. After the game, though, she raised eyebrows at the press conference when she pointed out how none of Caitlin Clark’s teammates attended the players’ meeting that morning. At that meeting, players decided to wear shirts that read, “Pay Us What You Owe Us.”

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“The t-shirt. Just a united front. Was determined this morning, um, that we had a meeting for. And not to, not to tattletale, but zero members of Team Clark were very present for that,” Plum said.

Fans weren’t impressed, calling her comments unnecessary. By Friday, Plum was walking things back on the Bird’s Eye View podcast with WNBA legend Sue Bird.

“I made a bad joke. I made a really bad joke,” Plum admitted. “I should have known it was a way more serious moment than a typical All-Star game. Cause I went into that press conference very like happy-go-lucky.”

She continued, “Honestly, Birdie, I was like, ‘Hey Team Clark, they didn’t make it to the meeting either.’ You know, just making a joke, trying to make the room lighter. I was making a joke, they were hungover, even though our team nickname was hungover, so I was like, at least we made it.”

Still, many felt her joke singled out Caitlin Clark and her squad, dragging them into an issue that didn’t need names attached.

“She is the reason why”: Sophie Cunningham connects Taurasi’s path to Caitlin Clark’s rise

While Plum worked on clearing the air, another voice in the league had Caitlin Clark’s back. Sophie Cunningham, who spent six seasons playing alongside Diana Taurasi, credited the Mercury star for paving the way for the Fever rookie’s rapid rise.

“Everyone can argue that [Taurasi] is the greatest of all time. What she does, what she has done for this game, is unbelievable. She’s the reason why CC [Clark] gets to be where she’s at,” Cunningham said Thursday on The Right Reed podcast.

Few players can speak from that perspective—Cunningham has shared the court with two different generational stars. Taurasi’s career may be winding down, but in Cunningham’s eyes, her influence is what allowed Caitlin Clark to shine right from the start.

For more basketball content, click on Hardwood Heroics. Sabel Reyes can be reached through sabelreyes22@gmail.com. Other websites under the Sports Heroics umbrella are Gridiron Heroics and Wisconsin Heroics.

Sabel has been working as a field reporter for People’s Television Network (PTV), mainly about the Philippine Basketball Association since 2016 and has been elevated to Executive Producer for sports in 2022. Aside from being on top of the Philippine sports scene, she is also a running enthusiast. You can also follow her on X at @SabelReyes2 and Instagram at @msabelreyes.