Los Angeles Sparks point guard Kelsey Plum measures success not in awards, lucrative contracts, and league records, but rather in something much more important. The WNBA champion appeared on the inaugural release of Ally Bank and Boardroom’s Mental Wealth video series, and she opened up about how her definition of wealth has been redefined through her experiences.
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Protecting her peace matters more than maximizing her paycheck. One major influence behind this philosophy is Plum’s upbringing, which she spoke about in an Instagram video on the Boardroom handle when asked what mental wealth means to her.
“Mental wealth to me means serenity. It would mean that you’re not making decisions purely based on money, you’re making decisions on your peace. I’m so fortunate to grow up in a family that really preached generosity, and I think that’s kind of what I try to look at money through a lens of. It’s your time, it’s your spirit, it’s your energy. For me, now making decisions about things that I want to do in my career or with my investments is really trying to look at how this is going to impact my family, women, and the future generation. Those are all questions that I have in the back of my mind.”
That philosophy also shapes the way Kelsey Plum approaches her public image. Most professional athletes are encouraged to build personal brand images. Plum, however, approaches this differently.
“The intent has never been necessarily to build a brand as much as it’s been to just be myself,” she said. “That’s when the genuine connection happens. Having an opinion and just kind of having a personality and being a little bit outgoing, that’s who I am, that’s who I’m always going to be, and I kind of just rest in that knowing that I’ve never been anyone other than myself.”
The Mental Wealth series is a collaborative project between Boardroom, which is a sports media company founded by Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman, and Ally Bank. Through conversations with top professional athletes like Plum, the series is exploring what success looks like beyond financial gain. It is also highlighting other important aspects of an athlete’s life, including personal fulfilment, and especially mental wellbeing.
As the inaugural edition of the series, Kelsey Plum is the first and so far only guest to appear. And in doing so, she passed across a message that extends well beyond sport: that the truest form of wealth is the kind that brings peace. It is not surprising that the five-time WNBA All-Star is keenly aware of mental wealth, as she has dealt with mental health issues of her own.
Kelsey Plum’s Past Mental Health Struggles Explain Her Passion for Mental Wellness Advocacy
Kelsey Plum has struggled with mental health issues previously. In fact, it happened during a time that was arguably one of the highest points of her basketball career.
She was making history during her pursuit of the NCAA Division I women’s all-time scoring record at the University of Washington. However, as she later revealed in 2022, she was also dealing with serious mental health challenges throughout that period.
Already closing in on the historic milestone, she had become one of the biggest stories in women’s college basketball. She broke the existing record on February 26, 2017, becoming the new No. 1 scorer in the history of women’s basketball with 3,397 points. As the WNBA came into view, Plum revealed that internally, she was experiencing the complete opposite of joy, according to a 2022 report by Just Women’s Sports.
“In college, people really noticed all the records and accolades and all the stuff broken, but I was really hurting in terms of my identity and trying to figure out who I was as a person at that time.”
“I was living on the edge in terms of just trying to make it through the day. It was brutal,” she continued. “Nobody knew I was hurting. I didn’t tell anyone that I was hurting. It was like the better I did at basketball, the worse I felt on the inside. It was like my identity felt completely gone. I was just known as the girl that was going to break the record, and that was it.”
According to Plum, those struggles continued beyond her college career and into the professional ranks in the WNBA. In fact, it wasn’t until the 2020 season, when she tore her Achilles, that she finally slowed down and confronted her mental health.
Recovering from the injury ultimately became a blessing in disguise, allowing her to focus on her mental well-being while working with a full-time mental coach as part of her rehabilitation process.
Coming out of that experience helps explain Plum’s continued interest and participation in mental wellness initiatives today. Through partnerships with Athletes for Hope and her own Kelsey Plum Foundation, she now funds programs that train coaches, parents, and teachers to recognize the early signs of mental health challenges in young people. Her participation in Ally Bank and Boardroom’s Mental Wealth series is another step in that ongoing mission to encourage more open conversations around mental well-being.