Sparks' Kelsey Plum Credits Pacers' TJ McConnell For Valuable Skill
Despite a 4-3 series defeat to the Oklahoma City Thunder in this year's NBA Finals, T.J. McConnell served as one of the Indiana Pacers' primary bright spots.
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The 6-foot-1 guard averaged 9.5 points and four assists throughout Indiana's remarkable 2025 postseason run — capped by an efficient 16 points, six rebounds and three assists on 8-for-13 shooting in Sunday's series finale loss.
Despite Kelsey Plum's stellar individual accomplishments in 2025, the Sparks are still looking for sustained team success.
— Ben Geffner (@BenGeffner) June 23, 2025
She’s confident LA will make a postseason run.
“On my deathbed we are going to get there… [and] clinch a playoff spot,” Plum said.https://t.co/hXXSSYu0DX
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Los Angeles Sparks' star guard Kelsey Plum recently joined Hall of Famer Lisa Leslie on a recent episode of the "Between the Lines" podcast to discuss a myriad of topics — one of which included a personalized shout-out to McConnell's motivated work ethic.
"I just try to be a menace."
— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) June 21, 2025
Kelsey Plum discusses why playing hard is such a valuable skill.
Head to our YouTube page for full episodes of 'Between the Lines'. Presented by Microsoft Copilot. pic.twitter.com/oFQHbH8UN9
"I saw T.J. McConnell say it on a podcast and it really stuck with me — playing hard is a skill," Plum said. "You'd think you'd not have to learn it, but at this level some people have it innately ... [but] over the course of my career I realized, 'Oh, I'm going to have to play this hard every possession to be as impactful as I want to be.
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"When you get to realize, 'Okay, this is what it's like,' you just can't turn it off," she added. "You saw me play in the Olympics ... I come in and I try to just be a menace."
Plum's work ethic has translated to a stellar start to the 2025 campaign.
She became the only WNBA guard to rank within the top-10 in points, assists and steals throughout the first month of the 2025 season, per a June 16 X post. Plum is currently averaging over 20 points, five assists and one steal in high-volume minutes for the purple and gold.
More Sparks news:
A'ja Wilson Speaks Out on Losing Kelsey Plum to Sparks
Sparks' Kelsey Plum Reacts to Georgia Amoore's ACL Injury
International Legend Reveals Reason For Rejoining LA
Sparks Waive Two Players Ahead of 2025 Season
Sparks’ Cameron Brink Revisits Feeling After Tearing ACL
For more news and notes on the Los Angeles Sparks, visit Los Angeles Sparks on SI.
Ben Geffner is an award-winning sports journalist and current student at the University of Maryland's Philip Merrill College of Journalism. A greater Los Angeles native now with countless years of extensive and dedicated experience — including beat reporting, writing, play-by-play broadcast, television anchoring, podcasting and video production — Ben remains eager to contribute as credentialed media covering the LA Sparks.
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