Kelsey Plum goes off on officiating after Sparks loss against Valkyries

After a tough overtime home loss against the Valkyries, Sparks star Kelsey Plum ranted about the poor officiating.

LOS ANGELES – The Sparks lost a heartbreaker against the Valkyries on Monday night.

It was a tough overtime loss, where Los Angeles’ offense fell apart, managing only one field goal in the final five minutes of the game.

During postgame media availability, the team didn’t spend much time talking about the lack of offensive production or the overall result. Instead, a lot of time was spent discussing the officiating.

Kelsey Plum didn’t mince words on her frustrations with the lack of calls.

“I’m going to get fined for saying this, but I drive more than anyone in the league,” Plum said. “So, to shoot six free throws is fu–ing absurd. And I got scratches on my face. I got scratches on my body and these guards on the other team get these ticky-tack fouls and I’m sick of it.

“I get fouled like that every possession. Rickea [Jackson] gets fouled like that, in the post all the time and they don’t call it and I don’t know what else to do. It’s really frustrating, though.”

Plum ended her rant with anger in her voice, her face marred by noticeable scratches and her eyes visibly watery.

“They’re fouling the s–t out of me every single play. So I’m very frustrated with that and I’m sick of it. I’m sick of it, I don’t know what I need to do, I talk to the refs nice, I pray before the game. Like, f–k, I’m over it.”

After the press conference ended, Plum had a conversation with the officials regarding the lack of calls.

With the game being so tightly contested and Plum taking just six free throws despite playing a game-high 41 minutes, her frustration is understandable.

If Plum is driving to the paint and being played so physically and the officials aren’t calling it, teams will only increase that physicality as the season progresses.

“Obviously, the scouting report is to be as physical as you can with her and it’s being allowed,” head coach Lynne Roberts said. “And so we’ve got to talk to the league about that, but it isn’t right.”

Roberts also mentioned the possibility of being fined, and Plum whispered to her that she’d pay it if that happened.

This brief back-and-forth between the star player and coach of the Sparks provided a lighthearted moment during an intense press conference.

On paper, the free throw discrepancy between the Sparks and Valkyries wasn’t visible. Golden State took 23 free throw shots and Los Angeles took 25.

However, not all free throws are created equal. While Plum took six shots from the charity stripe, one was from a technical foul and the other five were from two separate field goal attempts.

Clearly, the Sparks don’t feel that’s a fair amount given the shots in the paint she takes and the number of times she drives into the lane and kicks out to shooters.

Besides waiting to see if Plum gets fined by the league for her comments, all Los Angeles can do now is discuss the matter with the WNBA and point out the calls they felt were missed.

Losing another close game has to be frustrating for the Sparks. This was their first overtime loss of the year, but it’s their fifth defeat where the margin of victory was in single digits.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.