The Los Angeles Sparks have a 4-8 record so far to start this WNBA season. They seem to have had trouble in multiple areas as the season has progressed, including scoring and overall production.
Although, they have very promising pieces on their roster, they just have not found a way to make it all click yet. One of those pieces is two-time WNBA champion, Kelsey Plum. Plum going to the Sparks from Las Vegas was a blockbuster trade this offseason, and I think all W fans were excited to see how she'd work in L.A.
So far, Plum is her typical elite self. She leads the Sparks in average points and assists, averaging 20.9 points and 5.6 assists per game. She also takes on a heavy workload, averaging 36.0 minutes per game.
Is Kelsey Plum playing tonight against Seattle?
Unfortunately, Kelsey Plum is sitting out against the Storm tonight. Plum was listed with a left lower leg injury on the team's injury report released Monday night.
6/17 Sparks Game Status Report vs. Seattle Storm:
— LA Sparks PR (@LASparksPR) June 17, 2025
#0 – Odyssey Sims – NWT – Personal Reasons
#10 – Kelsey Plum – OUT – Left Lower Leg
#12 – Rae Burrell – OUT – Right Knee
#20 – Julie Allemand – NWT – Overseas Commitment
#22 – Cameron Brink – OUT – Left Knee
It is unclear the severity of the injury, or how it occured. It seems with how early the team made the decision, that they do not want to risk anything and hopefully we get a timetable on her return soon.
With this injury to Plum, it leaves Los Angeles pretty short-handed, more so than they already were. Odyssey Sims, Kelsey Plum, Rae Burrell, and Julie Allemand all being unavailable is detrimental to the guard position for this team.
This means tonight we could be seeing extended minutes for Alabama star Sarah Ashlee Barker - who has shown loads of promise. She is currently averaging 20.5 minutes and 4.6 points per game. There will probably also be some more offensive action in the paint from the Sparks' most efficient bigs, Dearica Hamby and Azura Stevens.
The Seattle Storm have won three of their last four games and look pretty healthy. The only injury is Katie Lou Samuelson's season-ending ACL tear. They also re-signed forward Mackenzie Holmes, who will be available against the Sparks tonight. The blow of Plum's injury on top of the existing unavailability has seemingly created an uphill battle for Los Angeles.