Kelsey Plum first hinted at an Adidas future back in January. She suited up in triple stripes despite being signed to Under Armour at the time. But it was due to “performance” considerations, as the brand curtly explained. In April, Plum finally cut ties with Under Armour, leaving the brand permanently, further aggravating Adidas rumors by wearing Adidas in Team USA practices and in the Offseason. Now, the Los Angeles Sparks star is finally confirmed to join the Adidas roster. 

Despite being one of the most popular athletes, Plum never received a signature shoe with Under Armour. While the brand did give Plum some player-exclusive basketball shoes and casual sneakers along with the “Dawg Class,” a women’s basketball camp founded by Plum and sponsored by Under Armour. Performance issues near the end of the deal proved the final straw. Now she has finally shaken hands with Adidas. The announcement comes in a rather unexpected promotion. 

Anthony Edwards, one of the beacons of the Adidas lineup, demonstrated miraculous recovery. He suffered an hyperextended knee on April 25. He was expected to miss three weeks but has returned for Game 1 against the Spurs in the second round on May 4th. To capitalize on this moment, Adidas released a promo for Edwards’ signature sneaker, the Believe That 1. And that featured the surprise announcement of Plum.

In the ad, Atlanta-based DJ Swamp Izzo narrates the  nostalgia coded ad, which features other adidas superstars like Karim Lopez, VJ Edgecomb, Kate Harpring, Kaleena Smith, Naz Anderson, and Alijah Arenas. To add a full stop to the list, Izzo says, “Wait, is that Kelsey Plum too?” She further confirmed her association with Adidas under a complex sneakers post. 

“Adidas may have just confirmed Kelsey Plum’s signing in a new Anthony Edwards campaign for his latest takedown model, the Believe That 1,” the account captioned its post. To which Plum commented with a fire emoji, conveying her intentions. 

She was also seen in Adidas kicks in her recent instagram post captioned, “Year 10 for 10 ❤️🔥.” Plum is another addition to the star-studded Adidas lineup in the WNBA featuring the likes of Aliyah Boston, Chelsea Gray, Satou Sabally and Nneka Ogwumike. 

 It seems Plum is stepping up in her brand deals as this news follows her Maker’s Mark collaboration. The premium whisky brand announced a limited-edition Private Selection bourbon called “Yam Jam by Kelsey Plum.” Along with her off-court rise, her on-court performance is set to go to another level following Nneka Ogwumike’s addition. 

LA Sparks’ Offseason Strategy Set To Take A Weight Off Kelsey Plum

LA was an exciting wildcard last year. They were a young team led by Kelsey Plum who made a late run for the playoffs. Eventually they lost out but the encouraging signs were clearly there. The rebuild was started and 2026 was the time to further double down. The management did, with a clear direction to get some more experience.

So, they traded Rickea Jackson for Ariel Atkins, brought in Erica Wheeler and the most significant signing of all, the return of Nneka Ogwumike. While it does improve them drastically on the court, it also adds some leadership support for Plum. 

“I feel like she has set the pace for the Los Angeles Sparks, and it looks even more evident for this team, even in the preseason. Part of that is because she doesn’t have to be the only leader, surrounded by a younger core,” Kalia Butler said on the “Locked On Women’s Basketball Podcast.” “She also has Dearica Hamby and now the addition of Ariel Atkins. Rae Burrell could have a breakout season.”

The lack of experience showed in LA last year. While Plum was able to lead them in that position, she can’t control split-second individual decisions. Now, Plum gets a leadership committee, which means a reduction in responsibility. She can play her game more freely (it’s not like she wasn’t). More importantly, it makes Sparks a genuine playoff threat. They were on the line last year and now they can cross it.