Kelsey Plum Gets Real About Angel Reese Unrivaled Battle
The Unrivaled regular season ended on February 27, and there were some compelling matchups before the playoffs begin.
One of these was when Rose BC faced Phantom BC. Both of these teams might match up in the playoffs, which becomes more intriguing because Rose BC now has Angel Reese rostered. And Reese had a great game on February 27, scoring a team-high 17 points and grabbing 8 rebounds in 14 minutes.
But Reese's performance wasn't enough to beat Phantom BC, who ultimately won 72-68. Phantom BC was led by Los Angeles Sparks star Kelsey Plum on Friday, who tallied an impressive 35 points in 21 minutes.
Reese and Plum went head-to-head at one possession in the game, which garnered a lot of interest because the two play different positions and Reese is the bigger player. However, Plum made it apparent that she wanted a piece of Reese in the paint.
Kelsey Plum Opens Up About Facing Angel Reese In Unrivaled
Plum spoke with the media after her team's win on Friday and opened up about her battle against Reese.
“You know, I love playing against Angel. I love playing against great players. And so, she had the ball, and she was gonna give it up, and I was like, 'No, no, no. Keep it. Let's do this,'" Plum said, per an X post from Wendell Epps.
"And so, she's backing me down, I'm trying to stand my ground. She's incredibly strong. Eventually, they called a foul. But I really wanted that one. I really wanted that stop; I was standing my ground. And so I was like, 'Come on, y'all. I'm a featherweight, going against a power player here! Give me something,' you know?" Plum continued.
"But at the end of the day, something I've learned about Unrivaled is just the fan experience, and how much they're able to connect with us, us with them. And I think that they've just done an incredible job of reeling people in. And it feels personal, right? It feels like they're right there, with the best players in the world. And so, I love to engage with the fans. I think it’s fun. This is entertainment at the end of the day. So yeah, had that moment. And I want it again!" Plum concluded.
Kelsey Plum on guarding Angel Reese and how much she enjoys the atmosphere of #Unrivaled games:
— Wendell Epps (@epps_wendell) February 28, 2026
“I love playing against Angel, I love playing against great players — I love to engage with the fans. I think it’s fun. This is entertainment at the end of the day.” pic.twitter.com/8euCWWa2PN
Plum is right in saying that Unrivaled provides an immersive and intimate experience for fans watching in person. And these were treated to Reese and Plum going at it to close out the regular season.
Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.
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