ESPN Insider Sets Record Straight on Kelsey Plum's Team Caitlin Clark T-Shirt Gaffe

An ESPN reporter got clear about Team Caitlin Clark's role in the iconic "Pay Us What You Owe Us" t-shirts, despite what Kelsey Plum claimed.

Jul 19, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Team Collier guard Kelsey Plum (10) warms up before the 2025 WNBA All Star Game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

When speaking with the media after the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game, Los Angeles Sparks standout Kelsey Plum raised eyebrows with a comment she made about how the now-viral "Pay Us What You Owe Us" t-shirts that the All-Stars wore while warming up before the game came into being.

"The t-shirt, this 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," Plum said.

New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu, who was on Team Clark (Fever star guard Caitlin Clark's drafted WNBA All-Star roster, given that she was a team captain) was sitting next to Plum when she said this, which prompted Ionescu to look at her and say, "Not really needed to be mentioned!"

KP: "It was a very powerful moment. As players, we didn't know that that was going to happen. It was a genuine surprise. The t shirt was determined this morning. Not to tattletale: 0 members of Team Clark were very present for that" https://t.co/2fXgaAuqMR pic.twitter.com/awIfnqLjxv

— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) July 20, 2025

Plum has gotten a ton of flak for deciding to share this amid a time when the players are meant to look as united as possible. And it turns out that her quip isn't entirely accurate, which ESPN reporter Ramona Shelburne revealed with a July 21 X post.

"WNBA players —including Kelsey Plum— had been discussing the 'Pay Us What You Owe Us' t-shirts for over a week, according to multiple sources. They settled on the idea at a breakfast Saturday morning that very few players on Team Clark attended because of the early start. But just to make sure, sources said Nneka Ogwumike, Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier went by the Team Clark locker room before the game to make sure others were on board with the idea & plan. They were," Shelburne wrote in the post.

She then added, "I thought it was fairly obvious Kelsey Plum tried to make a joke that didn’t land. The meeting where players decided to wear the shirts was at 8:30 am on Saturday. Understandable that not many from Team Clark made it after what we saw on Stud Budz from the night before."

I thought it was fairly obvious Kelsey Plum tried to make a joke that didn’t land. The meeting where players decided to wear the shirts was at 8:30 am on Saturday. Understandable that not many from Team Clark made it after what we saw on Stud Budz from the night before.

— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) July 21, 2025

Props to Shelburne for clearing up that Team Clark was, in fact, involved in the shirt's ideation, but just didn't get a chance to be there when Team Collier made the ultimate decision to wear them Saturday morning.