On Sunday, Nneka Ogwumike's buzzer beater lifted the Los Angeles Sparks to an emotional win over the New York Liberty in the 30th anniversary of the WNBA's first-ever game, and moved the team back to .500 after a frustrating start to the season.
But any hopes that the moment could be a turning point were dashed on Wednesday when the Sparks announced that star guard Kelsey Plum, who was second in the league in scoring at 23.9 points per game, will miss at least four weeks with a lower left leg injury. Further details regarding Plum's injury were not announced.
This news is a devastating blow to a Sparks team that is desperate to end its playoff drought, which dates back to 2020. Let's take a closer look at what we know about Plum's injury and what it means for the Sparks.
How was Plum injured?
Plum, who missed three games earlier this season with a right ankle sprain, was ruled out for the Sparks' loss to the Minnesota Lynx on June 17 with a lower left leg injury. She returned to action a few nights later in the Sparks' dramatic win over the Liberty on June 21, but had her left leg heavily taped.
That's a ton of tape on Kelsey Plum’s leg. pic.twitter.com/y1jGsAAgc3
— Edwin Garcia (@ECreates88) June 22, 2026
Plum played 36 minutes against the Liberty, but scored just 12 points on 5 of 14 shooting in one of her worst outings of the season, and was not moving as freely as usual.
It's unclear whether there was a specific instance in that game when Plum aggravated something in her left leg, or whether the team has simply decided to shut her down. Earlier this month, she spoke to Justin Russo about the beating her body has taken throughout her career -- including a torn left Achilles tendon in 2020 -- and the risks of rushing back from injuries.
"I think it's been an accumulation over time of heavy, heavy usage," Plum said of her current injury. While she noted it was a soft tissue problem, she declined to specifically describe the ailment to Russo.
"I work really hard to make sure that I'm very healthy and prepared for the season. I've never really had soft tissue stuff," Plum said. "Obviously, I had the ankle thing, which was a freak thing, I stepped on his foot; you guys saw. If you rush to come back the way I did, you're going to put yourself a little bit at a risk of -- it's not like I'm coming in and playing 15 minutes a game. So it's tough. It is what it is, though. I'm not going to sit here and complain. This is just the reality of the situation. You just deal with it."
Plum was having a historic season
After spending the first seven seasons of her career with the San Antonio Stars/Las Vegas Aces, Plum wanted a chance to run her own team and was traded to the Los Angeles Sparks ahead of last season. Though she was an All-Star, the Sparks missed the playoffs in her first campaign with the team.
She was determined not to let that happen again and came flying out of the gates this season. She scored at least 25 points in six of her first seven games, put up a career-high 43 points in a win over the Mercury -- Kahleah Copper scored 41 points that night, making the contest the first 40-point duel in WNBA history -- all while facilitating at a high level.
Through 12 games, Plum was averaging 23.9 points and 6.4 assists on 52.7% shooting -- all career-highs. She was second in the league in scoring, sixth in assists and the most efficient player in the top-10 in scoring.
Plum's 23.9 points were on pace to be the sixth-high single-season scoring average in league history, and she was also on pace to join Diana Taurasi as the only players in league history to average at least 20 points and five assists in multiple seasons (the only other players to pull off that feat even once are Cynthia Cooper, Skylar Diggins and Arike Ogunbowale, with Caitlin Clark on the way to joining them this season). Furthermore, Plum was on pace to become the 12th player -- and third guard, along with Sheryl Swoopes and Seimone Augustus -- to average at least 20 points on 50% shooting or better.
Prior to the injury, Plum was well on her way to her fifth consecutive All-Star appearance and her second All-WNBA honor. It's possible she could still be voted into the All-Star Game as a starter, though she was only 13th on the first round of fan returns. But if she is not, it's hard to imagine the coaches will select her as a reserve. Though it's still unclear when the starters or reserves will be announced, Plum is not expected to be healthy for the 2026 All-Star Game on July 25.
And while this is not a season-ending injury, Plum has already missed four games and will now miss at least another 10. Even if she comes back immediately after a month -- unlikely -- and does not miss a single game after that point -- also unlikely -- the maximum number of games she can play this season is 30. While the WNBA does not have a minimum games requirement for major awards, it's going to be hard for Plum to get onto MVP and All-WNBA ballots after missing so much time.
What does Plum's injury mean for the Sparks?
The Sparks have not made the playoffs since 2020, which is not only the longest postseason drought in franchise history, but the longest active one in the league. Failing to make the playoffs five seasons in a row in a league where 8/12 teams qualified for the majority of that time -- with expansion, it was 8/13 last season and is now 8/15 -- should be impossible.
Desperate to get back to the playoffs, the Sparks went all-in this offseason. In addition to re-signing Plum and Dearica Hamby, they brought back Ogwumike, a franchise icon who had spent the last two seasons in Seattle, traded former lottery pick Rickea Jackson for veteran guard Ariel Atkins and signed Erica Wheeler.
No one was sure that the Sparks could actually contend for a title, but everyone expected them to get back to the playoffs. Instead, they got off to a 1-3 start, had another three-game losing streak that included two of the games Plum missed with her ankle injury, and are stuck in ninth place at 8-8 with the mid-way point approaching. If the season ended today, they would be in the lottery again.
Even though Plum's injury timeline will include the mini break for the Commissioner's Cup championship and the All-Star break, she is going to miss at least 10 games. Depending on how her recovery goes, it's certainly possible her absence is even longer.
Here's the Sparks' schedule over the next four weeks, and their opponents' current place in the standings.
- At Toronto (11th)
- At Indiana (6th)
- Vs. Seattle (14th)
- Vs. Indiana (6th)
- Vs. Chicago (13th)
- At Atlanta (2nd)
- At Minnesota (1st)
- At Chicago (13th)
- At Dallas (5th)
- Vs. Phoenix (12th)
For the season, the Sparks are 7-5 with Plum and 1-3 without her. Even though they don't have the toughest schedule over the next few weeks, it's going to be tough for them to stay afloat. They are an offensive-minded team -- their 111.6 defensive rating is second-worst in the league -- and Plum, who leads them in scoring and assists, essentially is their offense. Just take a look at these numbers, via databallr:
Plum's statusMinutesOff. Rtg.TS%ON
410
114
59%
OFF
238
100.6
53.7%
Los Angeles could very well be multiple games out of the playoff race by the time Plum gets back, which would put tremendous pressure on them down the stretch.
The Sparks' core is one of the oldest in the league. Ogwumike is 35, Hamby is 31, Plum is 31 and Atkins is 29 (she'll turn 30 in July). Wheeler, one of their few productive bench players this season, is also 35, and Cameron Brink, currently sidelined with an ankle injury, is the only regular member of their rotation under 25.
They mortgaged their future -- in addition to trading Jackson for Atkins, they traded Dominique Malonga for Plum -- to build this team with a brief window to possibly contend. Now, the first season of this experiment is in danger of being lost.
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