Kelsey Plum drops massive announcement ahead of Unrivaled inaugural season

Las Vegas Aces All-Star guard Kelsey Plum has reconsidered her participation in Unrivaled Basketball and is sitting out the inaugural season of the newly formed 3-on-3 basketball league. She made the announcement on her Instagram stories.

In deciding not to play, she cited her desire to take some time off basketball just as she thanked the league for understanding her decision. She wrote on her IG story:

"I've decided to not take part in the inaugural season of Unrivaled in order to take some more time for myself this offseason. I appreciate the league understanding and being so accommodating. I wish the league and all the players nothing but the best and I'm excited to watch."

Below is a screenshot of her announcement.

No longer participating

Kelsey Plum was drafted to play for Laces Basketball Club in the six-team Unrivaled Basketball, which is to tip off its inaugural season in January in Miami, Florida. She was to play with Kayla McBride (Minnesota Lynx), Alyssa Thomas (Connecticut Sun), Courtney Williams (Lynx), Kate Martin (Aces) and Stefanie Dolson (Washington Mystics).

The two-time WNBA champion is coming off a season, her fifth with the Aces, where she averaged 17.8 points, 4.2 assists and 2.6 rebounds in 38 games, helping Las Vegas reach the semifinals.

Along the way, she also helped Team USA bring the gold home again in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Unrivaled Basketball is co-founded by WNBA stars Breanna Stewart (New York) and Napheesa Collier (Minnesota) and designed to provide a viable alternative for women professional players to show off their skills while earning good money.

Kelsey Plum no longer a stranger to 3-on-3 play

Kelsey Plum may not be playing in the inaugural season of Unrivaled but basketball fans know that she is no stranger to playing in a 3-on-3 setting, having represented Team USA in the event in the Olympics in 2021.

The former Washington star joined forces with Las Vegas Aces teammate Jackie Young, Stefanie Dolson (Washington Mystics) and Allisha Gray (Atlanta Dream) to win the first-ever gold medal in 3-on-3 play in the Tokyo Olympic Games. They defeated Russia in the gold medal match, 18-15.

Plum led all scorers in the tournament with 6.1 points per contest, with Dolson adding 5.7 ppg and Gray 5.3 ppg. As a team, Team USA led in six statistical categories, including points per game (19.1), defensive rebounds (12.2 rpg) and one-point shooting percentage (62%).

Team USA was coached by former WNBA player and now-Duke University coach, Kara Lawson.