“By far it was the most packed… 3-point contest, skills contest. The Orange Carpet was live.” The 2025 All-Star weekend at Indianapolis was a raging success. From Angel Reese and A’ja Wilson stealing the orange carpet to the Stud budz providing behind-the-scenes updates, the weekend whisked away like a fairytale. Even Caitlin Clark, who did not take part in the All-Star game due to injury, played her role in pre- and post-game events, drawing a huge flock of crowd. And while Kelsey Plum sang praises about the event, her certain actions did not sit well with players and reporters alike.

On the recent Sue Bird podcast, Plum confessed how her light-hearted joke failed to land during the 2025 ASW post-game interview. “I made a really bad joke. I was making a joke, they were hungover, even though our team nickname was ‘Hungover.’ So I was like, ‘At least we made it,” Plum said during the podcast. However, not everyone was convinced by that statement. None more so than Skip Bayless.

Bayless took to X to give his take on Plum’s comments. “So, Kelsey Plum is saying that both teams on the morning of the All-Star Game showed up for a meeting hungover? Man, that’s not a great message to all those new fans out there wearing 22 jerseys, is it?” he tweeted. Bayless believes that this act sends out a wrong message to all the new fans of the league and tarnishes the reputation of players.

In her comments, Plum was referring to the morning of the All-Star event, where players were supposed to wear the “Pay Us What You Owe Us” t-shirts in protest against the CBA. Moreover, she emphasised that Team Clark was not present in the moment. “So when you say somebody’s not very present, that means to me, my interpretation is well, they were there, but they were there only in body. Not in mind and spirit,” Bayless said. “But it didn’t mean that they avoided the meeting, or they didn’t want to participate in the meeting. They weren’t very present indicated to me that they did show up, but not in spirit.”

During the interview, Plum said, “It was a very powerful moment. The T-shirt, just united front, was determined this morning that we had a meeting for. And not to tattletale, but zero members of Team Clark were very present for that.” That statement drew an immediate sarcastic reply from Sabrina Ionescu as she sat beside Plum during the presser. And rightly so!

Well, attending a meeting as important as unifying against the CBA and that too in an inebriated state sheds a negative light on the players, as well as the league as a whole. Such incidents leave a very bad impression on the minds of sponsors, and more importantly, the new fans.

“But I must say, when I saw Kelsey say it live, what she said about not being very present, it just came across like it was a triumphantly angry shot at Caitlin Clark. That’s how it came across. It felt mean-spirited,” Bayless further remarked. While Clark showed up at the weekend games, she didn’t take part in the All-Star game. It isn’t certain whether Plum was just joking around about Caitlin Clark or taking an indirect jab at her.

But one thing is certain: Caitlin Clark is an idol for all the aspiring young female hoopers. And her recent action just added to her mystique.

Caitlin Clark stands in support of Sophie Cunningham

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham was officially ruled out for the remainder of the season. As head coach Stephanie White and the locker room awaited MRI reports after the Connecticut Sun game concluded, the reports came on Tuesday and suggested an MCL tear in the right knee.

On hearing the heartbreaking update, point guard Caitlin Clark immediately took to Instagram in support of her teammate. “Love you always, Soph,” showing her love and appreciation for her teammate. After Cunningham joined Sydney Colson and Ari McDonald on the list of absentees, the Fever were forced again in the hardship market, signing Shey Peddy on a 7-day contract.

While the replacement joinees fill in empty spots in the locker room, can the resilient roster fulfil HC White’s perfect storybook run this season? As the team heads towards the playoffs with Odyssey Sims, Shey Peddy, and Kelsey Mitchell, it remains to be seen if the new joiners are able to perform at the level White will expect of them.