A'ja Wilson Speaks Out on Losing Kelsey Plum to Sparks
Kelsey Plum's arrival in Los Angeles via a blockbuster three-team trade in late January marked one of the most high-profile acquisitions in WNBA history — and the first trade in league history involving numerous former No. 1 overall picks.
The Las Vegas Aces sent Plum to the Sparks in exchange for Seattle Storm star Jewell Loyd, while the Sparks sent forward Li Yueru and the No. 2 pick in the 2025 WNBA draft to the Aces.
After spending six years with the Aces, the sign-and-trade move was something Plum signed off on. Las Vegas previously extended the star guard a "core" qualifying offer on January 13 — a fully guaranteed one-year maximum deal, with Plum able to veto any trade before signing a contract.
The three-time WNBA all-star helped the Aces win back-to-back championships in 2022 and 2023. She averaged 17.8 points, 4.2 assists, and a career-high 34 minutes per game last season.
Plum and three-time WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson led the Aces in scoring through each of the last four seasons, respectively. All seven of Wilson's seasons in the WNBA have come playing alongside Plum — until now.
At Aces' training camp on April 30, Wilson addressed Plum's departure for the first time ahead of the 2025 WNBA campaign.
"I processed it just like anyone else," Wilson told KTNV reporter Taylor Rocha, per X. "It is what it is. It's a business. People wanna work on their brand, new journeys, new stories.
"And I love that for her. I'm glad she's in a space and I'm glad that she's in a space that she's happy, healthy, and thriving in that," Wilson continued.
"It’s a business. People wanna work on their brand, new journeys, new stories… I can’t worry about that anymore."
— Taylor Rocha (@TaylorRochaTV) April 30, 2025
A’ja Wilson opens up about the Aces trading Kelsey Plum: pic.twitter.com/arDOjo1Fa7
"But at the end of the day, I can’t worry really about that anymore. I've got to worry about what's in this locker room and what we have going on, and that's what we'll continue to do," she said.
In a Los Angeles Times article on April 27, Plum emphasized the fact that she was brought to Los Angeles "for a reason."
“It’s the turn of a new leaf in a lot of different ways ... That’s why I decided to come here," Plum said.
Plum and Wilson will take the hardwood on opposing sides for the first time on May 30. The Sparks and Aces meet four times in 2025, with subsequent matchups taking place on June 11, July 29 and September 11.
More Sparks news:
Sparks Reveal Full Roster for 2025 Training Camp
When Does Sparks' Kelsey Plum Return to Face Aces?
Sparks GM Details What Led to Sarah Ashlee Barker Pick
Sparks Sign Former Tar Heels Star Forward
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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