Kelsey Plum claimed to be overwhelmed at her introductory press conference after becoming just the fourth WNBA All-Star to be traded at the midseason deadline. But less than 24 hours after arriving in Chicago for her Phoenix Mercury debut against the Sky, the 31-year-old ended up making franchise history. And after watching it all unfold, head coach Nate Tibbetts couldn’t help but have a fan moment.
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“To get in last night at 10:30 p.m. and to have one shootaround and play the way she did — a hell of a first performance by her.”
Tibbetts’ comments during his postgame press conference after the Mercury’s 106-101 win are valid, as Plum’s debut became a historic moment for the Mercury, per Real App on X. She ended the night on 20 points coming off the bench, and added four assists and a rebound to push the Mercury to victory. The five-time All-Star became the highest-scoring guard in a Mercury debut since franchise legend Diana Taurasi, who scored 22 points in her first game with the team.
Few expected Plum to deliver a performance that had placed her among the league’s top scorers, especially considering it was also her first game back after missing six weeks with a lower leg injury. But the veteran guard had Wintrust Arena on its feet. She even scored a 3-pointer with less than a minute remaining to help Phoenix secure their twelfth win of the season.
On Sunday, the Los Angeles Sparks traded Kelsey Plum to Phoenix in exchange for Monique Akoa Makani, a 2027 first-round pick and a 2028 second-round selection. Less than a day later, she was wearing a Mercury jersey to make her debut. This was exactly the kind of immediate impact Phoenix had hoped for when it completed the blockbuster trade.
Last season, the Mercury made it to the WNBA Finals, but so far they sit at 12-19 and remain outside the playoff picture with very few regular-season games remaining.
Now, the responsibility of turning Phoenix’s season around won’t fall entirely on Kelsey Plum’s shoulders. With Alyssa Thomas and Kahleah Copper – her teammates on Team USA’s gold medal-winning squad at the 2024 Paris Olympics – alongside veterans such as DeWanna Bonner, the Mercury have another proven scorer to fuel their postseason push.
Ahead of the game, Plum was confident in the chemistry she could achieve with the existing roster.
“Coming in being very adaptable … having a level of humility. [Copper and Thomas] are great players and they play with great players. So I’m trying to learn fast and not make the same mistake twice. Then also just trust my instincts.”
If her debut is any indication, Kelsey Plum could quickly become one of the missing pieces Phoenix has been searching for.