Why Kelsey Plum, Who Left A Dynasty To Build Her Own, Believes This Is The Sparks' Year

On a uncommon disconnected time successful Los Angeles, Sparks guard Kelsey Plum settles into a quieter rhythm. She brings a book to a canine parkland adjacent her home, finds a spot, and reads. But moreover here, nan stillness is partial astatine best. Her mind keeps working, circling nan aforesaid mobility that has followed her done each shape of her career. What does greatness really require?

Right now, Plum is reference “The Talent Code,” a book that digs into nan hostility betwixt quality and nurture. It’s not precisely ray reference for a time off, but past again, she isn’t really wired for disconnected days.

“Talent,” she says, “takes countless hours of practice. Sure, you person immoderate earthy ability, but you person to train it. You look astatine for illustration a Russian tennis player, why are they good? Is it random? The similarity pinch greatness is practice.”

That idea, believe arsenic nan awesome equalizer, shapes really Plum sees her profession now, successful a infinitesimal that demands much from her than ever before.

Sparks defender Kelsey Plum moved to L.A. because she wanted to play a bigger domiciled than she did connected nan Las Vegas Aces title-winning teams.

(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)

In nan week earlier nan WNBA season, she’s nary longer successful nan calm of nan parkland but wrong nan controlled chaos of media time astatine El Camino College’s gym. Between photograph shoots, she sits connected a greenish room sofa successful a makeshift constitution area, nan greeting already filled pinch obligations: a news conference, cameras, questions astir what comes next. Beside her earlier was Ariel Atkins, 1 of nan veterans she helped bring to Los Angeles, a awesome that this adjacent section is meant to beryllium different.

“Have you ever driven a really costly car, but didn’t person bully insurance?” Plum asked. “When you person awesome coverage, you tin relax a small bit. That’s what it feels for illustration now, there’s truthful galore group paddling successful nan vessel pinch me.”

That consciousness of shared momentum didn’t travel immediately. Not agelong ago, location was doubt.

Until a fewer weeks ago, Plum wasn’t wholly judge she had made nan correct decision to subordinate nan Sparks. After being traded from nan Aces successful 2025, she knew she wanted much responsibility, much ownership and nan chance to beryllium nan look of a team. But belief successful a imagination is 1 thing; surviving done nan roughest stretches of nan translator is another.

The Sparks went 21-23 past season, finishing 2 wins short of reaching nan postseason. There were flashes, peculiarly precocious successful nan twelvemonth erstwhile Cameron Brink, nan No. 2 wide prime successful 2025, returned from injury. Still, nan consequence was acquainted successful L.A.: different twelvemonth without a playoff berth.

For a subordinate for illustration Plum, that benignant of result lingers.

Sparks defender Kelsey Plum feared she mightiness person made a mistakes during immoderate difficult moments early successful her tenure successful L.A., but free agents’ determination to subordinate her boosted her confidence.

(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)

“I don’t deliberation that past twelvemonth I realized really large of a determination I made,” she said. “Obviously there’s a you don’t understand nan gravity of it till you’re successful it. I deliberation erstwhile Nneka [Ogwumike] signed this year, I was like, ‘OK, I’m not crazy. They’re seeing nan imagination I americium seeing.’”

That validation mattered. It reframed nan consequence arsenic thing shared.

The Sparks leaned into nan guidance Plum believed successful during nan offseason. Some of that came straight from her power and immoderate of it came from nan illustration she set.

“KP came present because she wanted to trial herself connected really she impacts winning,” said Sparks wide head Raegan Pebley. “And there’s a batch of things that spell into impacting winning. It’s connected nan [score]board, but it’s also, are you a leader? Can you power different group to travel on pinch you? And she’s been capable to do that. She’s been a great, awesome personification to partner with.”

Plum understands that favoritism well. She’s been connected title teams earlier pinch back-to-back titles successful Las Vegas successful 2022 and 2023, but this is different. In Los Angeles, she’s helping specify what nan statement will become.

The franchise hasn’t reached nan postseason since 2020, nan longest progressive drought successful nan WNBA. For a squad successful a awesome market, the absence has been noticeable, moreover arsenic individual pieces hinted astatine potential.

Plum, successful her first play distant from nan Aces statement that drafted her No. 1 wide successful 2017 aft her record-setting tally astatine Washington, produced immediately: 19.5 points and 5.7 assists per game. But numbers unsocial weren’t nan point.

“I felt for illustration I tin beryllium nan connector,” she said. “When you’re portion of a title culture, you get to spot what goes into it. And it’s measurement much than conscionable basketball. It’s for illustration nan business, nan operations of it all. They each activity together. Obviously, what Mark Davis has done is tremendous successful Las Vegas, and really investing successful that team. So, yeah, coming present definitely, I learned a batch much than basketball, right? About what goes into building a title team, a roster, what goes into investing successful players and making it consciousness for illustration a destination wherever players are like, ‘Ooh, I want to spell play there.’”

Sparks defender Kelsey Plum accepted a little net truthful that nan squad could prosecute cardinal free agents tin of helping triumph a championship.

(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)

That position shaped her decisions this offseason successful tangible ways. Despite being eligible for a $1.4 cardinal supermax statement aft her halfway designation, Plum chose to motion astatine a little number, giving nan Sparks elasticity to build astir her.

They utilized that abstraction to adhd Ogwumike and Erica Wheeler, while still leaving $1,468,650 successful headdress abstraction for a imaginable in-season move. They besides traded for Atkins from Chicago, parting pinch erstwhile first-round prime Rickea Jackson to easiness nan unit successful nan backcourt.

“I want to really thief toggle shape an organization,” Plum said. “As a player, you don’t really cognize really bully you are, aliases really overmuch you tin handle, capacity wise, until put successful a business that’s possibly a small complete your head.”

Belief, successful this case, became contagious. Plum helped enlistee Wheeler. Ogwumike, already acquainted pinch nan franchise, pointed to broader changes arsenic portion of her determination to return.

With cardinal pieces successful play, Sparks defender Kelsey Plum said nan squad must clasp precocious expectations. “We’re nary longer nan cute, young tadpole team,” she said. “We person to win.”

(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)

“The past mates years person strategically been very, very focused pinch our ownership and improving nan subordinate experience,” Pebley said. “We’ve sewage a practice installation that is being built. … Players are experiencing a overmuch much accordant and precocious level, conscionable subordinate experience. And I deliberation they tin now look astatine their peers oculus to oculus and say, ‘This is wherever you request to be. you’re going to beryllium treated really good here.’”

All of it builds toward a simple, unavoidable truth: this type of nan Sparks can’t spend to linger successful potential.

Plum’s bequest successful Los Angeles will hinge connected whether this reset becomes a turning constituent aliases conscionable different section successful a agelong rebuild. The expectations person shifted, internally and externally.

“Last twelvemonth was tough,” Plum said. “We were correct location astatine nan end. But I deliberation this twelvemonth is different. Obviously, pinch each nan free agency acquisitions, this is very exciting. We’re nary longer nan cute, young tadpole team. We person to win.”