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It was a bit hard to ignore the timing of the trade that sent former Raiders tight end Darren Waller to the Giants, which went down around a week after he was married to Kelsey Plum, the WNBA star who plays for the Las Vegas Aces.
At first, it seemed like that transaction (which saw New York send a third-round pick to Las Vegas in return for the TE) was a fairly straightforward business decision.
However, things took a very interesting twist when The Athletic published a report that asserted Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels had drawn Waller’s ire for reportedly leaking the news of what was supposed to be a private ceremony to a local newspaper.
Plum added a little bit of fuel to the fire when she (seemingly) joked the decision to leave McDaniels off of the guest list could’ve played a role in the franchise’s decision to part ways with her new husband.
Prolly cause he wasn’t invited to the wedding lol https://t.co/K3i7oW5oe4
— Kelsey Plum (@Kelseyplum10) March 15, 2023
Plum’s response to Robert Griffin III blew up on Twitter shortly after she posted it, and for many people, the viral tweet served as their introduction to the 28-year-old.
As a result, there are plenty of people who found themselves looking for a crash course in Kelsey Plum—and if you count yourself among them, you’ve come to the right place.
What to know about WNBA player (and Darren Waller’s wife) Kelsey Plum
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At the risk of minimizing what Waller has been able to accomplish over the course of the seven years he’s played in the NFL, his résumé has nothing on the one his significant other has been able to put together over a similar span of time.
Plum comes from a family of athletes; her mother Katie played volleyball at Cal, and her father Jim was a member of the football and basketball teams during his time at San Diego State (her two older sisters are also both accomplished volleyball players and her brother Dan was a tight end at UC Davis).
However, it’s safe to say no one was able to top Kelsey’s accomplishments.
Plum was a force to be reckoned with while playing at La Jolla Country Day School, as she posted close to 20 points per game as a high schooler and led her team to a California state championship in 2012.
In 2013, she was named a McDonald’s All-American and was courted by a number of high-profile college programs before committing to the University of Washington.
Plum kept a very full plate, as she was also a member of Team USA’s U19 team and would go on to win a gold medal while representing the United States at the Pan American Games, where she helped her squad win a silver medal during a run that came to an end with a loss to Canada in the championship showdown.
She was also named the captain of the Huskies before the start of her freshman year, and it’s safe to say she lived up to the lofty expectations that were bestowed upon her.
Plum set a number of records during her time at the school—including the most career points a woman has ever scored at the college level—and won AP Player of the Year following a stellar senior season.
It was only natural the San Antonio Stars drafted Plum with the first overall pick in the 2017 WNBA Draft (the year before they relocated to Las Vegas and rebranded as the Aces). While it did take her some time to adjust to the new stage, she continued to develop her game in the ensuing years and played an instrumental role in helping the franchise snap a five-year playoff drought in 2019.
Plum suffered a major setback shortly after signing an extension with the team in 2020, as she was forced to miss the season after undergoing surgery on her Achilles tendon. However, she bounced back in a big way.
In 2021, Plum took home a gold medal after helping Team USA win the inaugural 3×3 basketball tournament that made its grand debut at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo. That event was held in the middle of a WNBA season where she secured Sixth Player of the Year honors and finished behind Brionna Jones in the Most Improved Player voting.
The comeback was officially capped off the following year, as Plum averaged more than 20 points, was named MVP in her first WNBA All-Star Game appearance, and was a key figure in the Aces’ successful quest to win their first championship in franchise history.
Plum and Waller have largely tried to keep details of their relationship under wraps, but it’s believed they began dating in 2022 before deciding to tie the knot in Vegas on March 4, 2023.
The more than $30 million her husband has racked up playing in the NFL means he certainly has the heftier bank account, but it’s estimated Plum has a net worth of around $1 million thanks to her contract earning and an endorsement deal with Under Armor.