Los Angeles Sparks On SI

Sparks News: Kelsey Plum Impresses in LA Debut

The star guard was one of four Sparks to score in double figures Tuesday night.
Ben Geffner|
May 6, 2025; San Francisco, CA, USA; Los Angeles Sparks guard Kelsey Plum (10) shoots the basketball against Golden State Valkyries guard Veronica Burton (22) during the third quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
May 6, 2025; San Francisco, CA, USA; Los Angeles Sparks guard Kelsey Plum (10) shoots the basketball against Golden State Valkyries guard Veronica Burton (22) during the third quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

On Jan. 26, Los Angeles Sparks traded for Las Vegas Aces' star guard Kelsey Plum in a blockbuster three-team trade. 102 days later, Plum made her highly anticipated debut for the purple and gold.

“It’s the turn of a new leaf in a lot of different ways, in leadership and investment in the franchise. “That’s why I decided to come here ... “I was brought here for a reason," Plum said in aLos Angeles Times article in late April. "Changing the culture, that’s a day-to-day process."

The three-time WNBA All-Star was one of four Sparks to score in double figures Tuesday night. Plum poured in 11 points and five assists in Los Angeles' 83-82 win over the Golden State Valkyries to open 2025 preseason play.

Read more: Kelsey Plum Breaks Down Why She Chose to Join Sparks

Fresh off an impressive 2024 All-Rookie campaign, Rickea Jackson complemented Plum with a team-high 13 points on 5-for-10 shooting. Aari McDonald and Odyssey Sims added 12 and 11 points, respectively.

It marked the Sparks' first victory in which they scored 80-plus points since last August, a 94-88 win over the New York Liberty — dating back 11 combined contests.

Los Angeles jumped out to a 39-25 halftime lead after outscoring Golden State by 15 points in the second quarter alone.

Plum carried a plus-minus of eight and scored five points — nearly half of her game total 11 — in the dominant second frame, three of which came off free throws.

The star guard eventually finished 5-for-5 from the charity stripe — joining rookie Sarah Ashlee Barker as the only two Sparks perfect from the line on Tuesday.

But a game-high eight third quarter points from Kate Martin propelled the Valkyries on a 32-18 run through the third period. The West Coast expansion team, playing their first-ever WNBA game, turned a once 14-point deficit into a 57-57 deadlock by the quarter's end.

Aari McDonald delivered in a pressure-filled fourth quarter, adding three timely baskets — two of which came from beyond the arc — to seal Los Angeles' first win of 2025 in its sole preseason game.

The Sparks officially open regular season play on May 16, back in San Francisco's Chase Center against the Valkyries.

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.

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations

Published | Modified
Ben Geffner
BEN GEFFNER

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.

Share on XFollow BenGeffner
Home/News