Aces' A'ja Wilson Reacts to Sparks' Kelsey Plum Returning to Las Vegas

The Aces' star revealed her current feelings on Plum's highly anticipated return ahead of Friday's home matchup with the Sparks.

Sep 24, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson (22), guard Kelsey Plum (10) and center Kiah Stokes (41) celebrate against the Dallas Wings during game one of the 2023 WNBA Semifinals at Michelob Ultra Arena. The Aces defeated the Wings 97-83. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Aces won two WNBA titles throughout Kelsey Plum's seven-year tenure in Las Vegas — marking one of the most successful stretches of any team in league history.

The franchise's decision to move the star guard to Los Angeles via a blockbuster three-team trade in late January sent shockwaves through the WNBA world — reshaping both teams' respective 2025 landscapes.

Read more: Becky Hammon Sends Message to Aces After Loss

Plum averaged 17.8 points per game in an Aces uniform last season, good for the second-most on the team behind 6-foot-4 center A'ja Wilson.

The two worked as a lethal offensive pair during all of Wilson's first seven seasons in the WNBA.

On Friday night, Wilson and Las Vegas will welcome back Plum to Michelob ULTRA Arena. This time, however, the two-time WNBA Champion guard will be sporting a purple and gold uniform.

Despite squaring off against one another for the first time later this week, the duo's relationship is still increasingly positive, Wilson said on Tuesday.

"She switched over from San Antonio to Vegas and welcomed me in," Wilson said.

"She switched over from San Antonio to Vegas and welcomed me in."

A'ja Wilson tells me she's excited for the Aces to welcome back Kelsey Plum Friday night vs LA, saying she left a legacy of a 'dog mentality' in Vegas and that she's 'grateful to have been her teammate.' @KTNV pic.twitter.com/KcTvcaKrOS

— Nick Walters (@nickwalt) May 27, 2025

Without Plum's offense in Las Vegas' season-opener on May 17, the scoring struggles were evident. However, Friday marks another chance for the new-look Aces to build offensive chemistry in a system without an offensive-heavy talent like Plum present.

"It’s a business. People wanna work on their brand, new journeys, new stories… I can’t worry about that anymore," Wilson told Taylor Rocha last month.

Wilson and Las Vegas take on Plum and Los Angeles on Friday at 7:00 p.m. PT — and it certainly plans to be a strong indicator on where both respective teams currently are following the blockbuster trade earlier this year.

For more news and notes on the Las Vegas Aces, visit Las Vegas Aces on SI.