Chicago, USA, June 24, 2025: Kelsey Plum 10 Los Angeles Sparks is seen during the game between the Chicago Sky and Los Angeles Sparks on Tuesday June 24, 2025 at Wintrust Arena, Chicago, USA. NO COMMERCIAL USAGE Shaina Benhiyoun/SPP PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxBRAxMEX Copyright: xShainaxBenhiyoun/SPPx spp-en-ShBe-8P6A5226
Chicago, USA, June 24, 2025: Kelsey Plum 10 Los Angeles Sparks is seen during the game between the Chicago Sky and Los Angeles Sparks on Tuesday June 24, 2025 at Wintrust Arena, Chicago, USA. NO COMMERCIAL USAGE Shaina Benhiyoun/SPP PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxBRAxMEX Copyright: xShainaxBenhiyoun/SPPx spp-en-ShBe-8P6A5226
The Los Angeles head coach, Lynne Roberts, has spoken out about Star Kelsey Plum not being selected as a starter for the WNBA All-Star Game. She elaborated on how the rationale for the starting spot has changed among voters.
Roberts was being interviewed by John W. Davis of Southern California News Group about the team on July 2, when he also asked her how she felt about Plum not being a starter.
"It's ridiculous," Roberts said. "It's become a social media popularity contest. Not about, you know, who the most impactful players are. She's, by far, I mean, the best one on one player in the league. She's having an MVP season."
While Roberts was disappointed that Plum was not selected, she further elaborated on how All-Star voting has now turned into a popularity contest.
Plum has been averaging 23.9 points, 6.4 assists, and 2.2 rebounds per game this season.
"Shocking but yet not surprising," Roberts further elaborated during the interview. "Like, and I hope our league can get to the point where it's not just popularity in terms of, you know, social media, and it's actually about what these guys are doing on the court."
The WNBA All-Star voting saw Plum climbing down the ranks, even after averaging such great stats.
Kelsey Plum Fails To Make It As A Starter In The All-Star Game
Jun 5, 2026; Los Angeles, CA, USA; LA Sparks guard Kelsey Plum (10) dribbles the ball against Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) n the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Jun 5, 2026; Los Angeles, CA, USA; LA Sparks guard Kelsey Plum (10) dribbles the ball against Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) n the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The All-Star voting, which took place to determine the starters of the All-Star Game, was divided into three categories. The fan voting, media voting and player voting, as per the WNBA.
Fan voting carried the most weight of 50 percent, with the other two having 25 percent weightage each. Kelsey Plum was ranked 13th in fan voting and got 463,218 votes, as per the WNBA.
She ranked fifth in media voting, with the players ranking her 12th in the league.
Plum could not be selected as a starter despite ranking second in points in the league. Meanwhile, other starters like A'ja Wilson, Caitlin Clark, and Kelsey Mitchell have also been averaging 21-plus points, as Plum has.
Plum also averaged 6.4 assists per game, ranking seventh in the league, with only one All-Star starter, Clark, being ahead of her in the league with 8.2 assists per game.
Despite Plum displaying great performances, she has been left out of the All-Star Starters.
But now, with an injury to her lower left leg, she is out for a month. The Sparks, who currently have a record of 8-10, will need to play without their most important offensive player. The Sparks stand fifth in the Western Conference standings and 10th overall.
It is unclear whether or not Plum will return even after the completion of a month, as she would first be reevaluated and would need to be cleared as fit.
Coach Roberts not only got Plum's injury news, but this news made her even more frustrated. But is the All-Star voting really becoming a popularity contest?
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Written by
Dhruv Singh