Kelsey Plum admitted she was ‘sick’ of not having a foul called on opposing players during drives, claiming she was willing to take the fine for criticizing the WNBA’s referees
17:26 ET, 10 Jun 2025Updated 17:26 ET, 10 Jun 2025
Kelsey Plum expressed her frustration with how referees are officiating her game compared to other players in the league.
Article continues below
Plum is in her first year as a member of the Los Angeles Sparks, bringing years of experience to the relatively young squad with rookie Sarah Ashlee Barker noting the two-time WNBA champion’s “awesome impact” on the squad. The 30-year-old also is hoping to “uphold the standard” of excellence Los Angeles basketball is known for, citing the late Kobe Bryant as her inspiration.
Article continues below
That said, the Sparks have stumbled out of the gate in the 2025 season, dropping to 3-7 after Monday night’s 89-81 loss to the Golden State Valkyries. Though Plum led all scorers with 24 points, the star guard, who often uses her quickness to drive into the paint, took umbrage with the fact that she only shot six free throws during the game and overtime.
Article continues below
Ruben Amorim jokes ‘it would not be Man Utd without suffering a bit’ after winREAD MORE: Lisa Salters’ rarely used Instagram gives insight to Stephanie White relationshipREAD MORE: Paige Bueckers absence explained after Wings star passed concussion protocol
As Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts and Plum spoke to reporters after the loss to explain how Los Angeles only mustered three points in overtime, the latter took a moment to express her mounting frustration and criticized how referees are officiating her, claiming she does not care about the fine she will receive.
“I also thought, and I’m going to get fined for saying this, but I drive more than anyone in the league, so to shoot six free throws is f—– absurd, and I got scratches on my face. I got scratches on my body, and these guards on the other team get these ticky-tack fouls, and I’m sick of it. I get fouled like that every possession,” Plum began.
“Rickea [Jackson] gets fouled like that in the post all the time, and they don’t call it, and I don’t know what else to do. It’s really frustrating, though. I mean, there’s multiple shots at the end of the game, either going into the third, into the fourth, where they’re just coming in, just f—— swinging, and they just don’t call anything, and I don’t understand how that’s six free throws, playing 40 minutes, touching the paint.”
For reference, Plum’s six free throw attempts Monday were tied with Azura Stevens for the second-most attempts on the Sparks, with star forward Dearica Hamby leading the way with nine attempts. Meanwhile, Valkyries guard Veronia Burton led all players with eight total free throw attempts.
After the Sparks’ loss, Plum is tied for 10th in the WNBA in points in the paint, scoring 6.2 per game, which shows how frequently she gets into the paint every game.
Article continues below
She also is seventh in the league in the percentage of points coming from the free-throw line (22.4 percent), tied with her teammate Odyssey Sims.
Get Peacock starting at $7.99
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
Looking for more to watch? Peacock has hit shows, movies, live sports, and more. You can watch popular titles like Wicked and The Traitors, along with Premier League matches and live golf all in one place. Peacock offers plans starting at $7.99 a month and you can cancel anytime.
Of note, Plum has eclipsed 10 or more free throw attempts twice this season, in the Sparks’ season opener against the Valkyries at Chase Center and then against the Phoenix Mercury five days later. Since that point, Plum has shot five or more free throws just three times in the last seven games.
Article continues below
Before her six free-throw outing against Golden State, Plum had seven total attempts in her last two games combined. Considering her propensity to get by her defender and get into the paint, Plum was less than enthused knowing the referees would not call a foul.
“Almost every play is absurd. It’s absurd, and so I’m saying, like, I’ll get fined for that, and that’s fine, but, I mean, and I needed to make more shots late game, but, I mean, they’re fouling the s— out of me every single play, so I’m very frustrated with that, and I’m sick of it. I’m sick of it.
“I don’t know what I need to do. I talk to the refs nice. I pray before the game. Like, f—, I’m over it,” she concluded.
Leave a Reply