Even in an MVP-calibre season, Kelsey Plum couldn’t secure her berth as a WNBA All-Star starter. However, it wasn’t necessarily her performances this season that led to this snub. Instead, it’s a major voting error by the LA Sparks that cost Plum a place on the floor. Now, WNBA analyst Alicia Jay has shared her two cents in this regard.

“Alexa reported that only about 85% of the WNBA’s roughly 180 players, that’s a little less than half, that’s actually terrible numbers submitted ballots for starters,” Alicia Jay said on the We Need to Talk podcast. “So you know, the report they reported that it was a distribution error that was occurring. I know the Sparks kind of said they didn’t get the voting of their players in enough time or they didn’t get the emails.

“There was just a lot of conversation around that. So, on top of everything else let’s get the voting right,” she added.

Right after the final voting results emerged, WNBA analyst Annie Costabile stated that only 85 of 180 players had cast their votes in the All-Star game ballot. It highlights the fact that even the players who would have voted in Plum’s favor didn’t turn up.

While that was already enough to diminish her voting results, another error by the LA Sparks just fueled it further. A team spokesperson from the Sparks explained the entire voting situation.

“Players were sent ballots via email,” a LA Sparks team spokesperson said, as per The Athletic‘s Annie Costabile. “Some players indicated that they didn’t receive the email or weren’t aware of it until after the voting period had closed. That’s something we take responsibility for as an organization, and we’ll have a more robust process going forward.”

This error from the Sparks’ side also prevented Plum’s teammates from voting in her favor.

The result? Plum finished seventh in the overall rankings and 12th in the players’ rankings among guards, well below in the pecking order. For those unaware, the All-Star starting spots depend on the player’s score after the voting process. This involves taking the average of their weighted rank from player votes, fan votes, and media notes. Plum’s score of 7.25 fell short of securing her a starter berth.

Nevertheless, Kelsey Plum’s snub from the starting position comes as a major surprise in the current dynamic of the league. Before her left leg injury, the 2022 WNBA MVP had been dominating the scoring charts. According to ESPN, the LA Sparks veteran averaged 23.9 points per game — second in the league — while shooting 52.7% from the field.

Furthermore, she was dishing out a career-high 6.4 assists per game. At first glance, these are absolute MVP numbers. Plum’s snub despite pulling off such figures is definitely an uncomfortable situation, especially when rookies like Olivia Miles have a starting spot.

Her impact cannot be overlooked in a rather disappointing season for the LA Sparks. The franchise is currently on an 8-11 run and desperately needs its star guard to make a quick recovery. Plum’s importance to her team is better emphasized by her coach, Lynne Roberts, who wasn’t too happy with her All-Star status.

Sparks Head Coach Lynne Roberts Furious With Kelsey Plum Not Getting a Starter Spot in the All-Star Game

LA Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts has made her feelings clear about how Kelsey Plum’s snub from the All-Star starter position reflects that the voting emphasizes popularity over on-court impact.

“It’s ridiculous,” Roberts said in a conversation with John W. Davis, Sports Reporter for Southern California News Group. ‘It’s ridiculous. It’s become a social media popularity contest, not about who the most impactful players are. She’s the best one-on-one player in the league, having an MVP season.”

Roberts’ assessment is reasonable, but doesn’t represent the current situation. The fan votes account for 50% of the total weight; the remaining half is split equally between media votes and player votes, as per Sports Illustrated. To that end, Plum was well recognized by the fans, as she finished 6th in the votes. Even the media seemed appreciative of her performances, voting her fifth in the rankings.

Her snub came down to an unfortunate blunder in the player votes.

Although disappointing, the exclusion might work in Plum’s favor. The guard is supposed to recover from her injury by the end of July, but may use the extra break to heal completely. Plum’s fitness will be pivotal if the Sparks are to move up from 11th place and clinch a playoff spot.