Unrivaled basketball league is down a star after Las Vegas Aces guard Kelsey Plum announced she’d be bowing out on Wednesday.
WNBA star no longer playing in Unrivaled this winter
Kelsey Plum announced this week she’d be withdrawing from the new professional 3-on-3 women’s basketball league.
Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images
Noa Dalzell is a senior writer covering the WNBA and all of women’s basketball for Breakaway, SB Nation’s women’s sports vertical, as well as the Celtics for CelticsBlog.
Plum, a two-time WNBA champion and three-time All-Star, was one of the biggest names committed to playing in the new 3-on-3 women’s professional basketball league.
“I’ve decided to not take part in the inaugural season of Unrivaled in order to take some more time for myself this offseason,” Plum wrote in an Instagram story. “I appreciate the league understanding and being so accommodating. I wish the league and all of the players nothing but the best and I’m excited to watch!”
Unrivaled is set to tip-off in Miami on January 17th. The league includes 33 WNBA players divided among six clubs, and games will be played three nights a week for 8 weeks.
Prior to dropping out, Plum was named a member of the Laces Club, coached by Andrew Wade, a current assistant coach for the Washington Mystics.
Her Laces teammates included Kayla McBride (Minnesota Lynx Lynx), Alyssa Thomas (Connecticut Sun), Courtney Williams (Minnesota Lynx), Kate Martin (Las Vegas Aces) and Stefanie Dolson (Washington Mystics). Now, the Laces become one of three Unrivaled teams with five players, with two other clubs (the Lunar Owls and Phantom) already inclduing wildcard spots.
Last season, Plum averaged 17.8 points and 4.2 assists. She played 38 out of 40 regular season games — and spent her midseason break on the U.S. Olympic team that won gold in Paris. In her seven-year WNBA career, Plum has averaged 14.3 points and 4 assists.
The other five Unrivaled clubs feature the following WNBA players:
Vinyl Basketball Club
Head coach: Teresa Weatherspoon
Players: Arike Ogunbowale (Dallas Wings), Rhyne Howard (Atlanta Dream), Aliyah Boston (Indiana Fever), Jordin Canada (Atlanta Dream), Rae Burrell (Los Angeles Sparks), Dearica Hamby (Los Angeles Sparks)
Mist Basketball Club
Head coach: Phil Handy
Players: Jewell Loyd (Seattle Storm), DiJonai Carrington (Connecticut Sun), Breanna Stewart (New York Liberty), Courtney Vandersloot (New York Liberty), Rickea Jackson (Los Angeles Sparks), Aaliyah Edwards (Washington Mystics)
Lunar Owls Basketball Club
Head coach: DJ Sackmann
Players: Skylar Diggins-Smith (Seattle Storm), Allisha Gray (Atlanta Dream), Natasha Cloud (Phoenix Mercury), Napheesa Collier (Minnesota Lynx), Shakira Austin (Washington Mystics)
Rose Basketball Club
Head coach: Nola Henry
Players: Chelsea Gray (Las Vegas Aces), Kahleah Copper (Phoenix Mercury), Angel Reese (Chicago Sky), Brittney Sykes (Washington Mystics), Lexie Hull (Indiana Fever), Azura Stevens (Los Angeles Sparks)
Phantom Basketball Club
Head coach: Adam Harrington
Players: Jackie Young (Las Vegas Aces), Marina Mabrey (Connecticut Sun), Satou Sabally (Dallas Wings), Tiffany Hayes (Las Vegas Aces), Brittney Griner (Phoenix Mercury)
