The New York Liberty's victory over the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday ended Kelsey Plum and her teammates' hopes for a historic three-peat. Last year, the Aces triumphed over the Liberty in the WNBA finals to win their second consecutive title, and Plum made a claim about New York's team chemistry. Her comments have resurfaced after she and the Aces were eliminated by the Liberty in this year's playoffs.
It has been less than a year (354 days) since the Aces lifted the WNBA trophy at the Barclays Center in New York. A 3-1 series win over the Liberty secured the franchise's second championship.
Per Yahoo Sports, Plum made the following statement following the series:
"We also knew that, as much as they’re a team, they’re not a team, if that makes sense," Plum was quoted as saying.
Explore the NBA Draft 2024 with our free NBA Mock Draft Simulator & be the GM of your favorite NBA team.
"They’re really good individual players, but they don’t care about each other. And you can tell in those moments. They revert back to individual basketball."
A year after Plum's remarks, the Liberty got their payback on the Aces with a 76-62 Game 4 win on Sunday to knock the Aces out of the playoffs. New York ended the regular season with the best record and All-Stars Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu have continued to lead the team in the playoffs, clinching a finals berth following their latest victory.
After Game 4, Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon addressed the apparent trash-talking between the two teams dating back to last year.
"We talked our crap, they heard it and they get it to talk their crap. It's part of the game," said Hammon.
Kelsey Plum is set to become a free agent at the end of the WNBA season
With stars like A'ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young, Tiffany Hayes and Kelsey Plum on the roster, the Las Vegas Aces boast one of the most dangerous lineups in the league. Over the last three seasons, the team has won two championships and reached the semifinal round once. However, the Aces' star-studded roster may look different next season.
Three-time All-Star and Kelsey Plum is at the end of a two-year contract and is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
There will be plenty of interest around the league for the 30-year-old point guard who spent her entire WNBA career with the Aces franchise, who may consider a change of scenery.
Aces forward Alysha Clark and guard Tiffany Hayes will also be free agents this offseason.