Kelsey Plum Out for Season With Lower Leg Injury
The Phoenix Mercury guard will miss the rest of the 2026 WNBA season and the FIBA Women's World Cup, weeks after arriving in a trade.
Season Over in Phoenix
Phoenix Mercury guard Kelsey Plum will miss the remainder of the 2026 WNBA season because of a lower leg injury, the team announced on Monday.
Plum joined the Mercury in an Aug. 2 trade from the Los Angeles Sparks. The team said she will keep working with its medical and performance staff on her recovery.
"Kelsey is a competitor, and she wants nothing more than to be on the court with her teammates and competing for the Mercury," Mercury general manager Nick U'Ren said in a written statement. "Ultimately, this was about doing what is best for Kelsey's long-term health."
A Short Spell With the Mercury
Plum played five games for Phoenix after the trade, averaging 15.8 points and 2.8 assists. She scored 20 or more points twice, including 25 against the Connecticut Sun on Aug. 7.
Before the move she earned her fifth career All-Star selection with the Sparks. AZFamily reports she is one of only six players in the WNBA with a 40-point game this season.
CBS Sports reports that Plum has dealt with injuries all season and has played just once since Aug. 9. The sources do not say how long her recovery is expected to take.
Two Withdrawals From Team USA
Team USA announced on Monday that Plum and A'ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces have both been ruled out of the 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup for health reasons.
They have been replaced by Washington Mystics players Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron, who will each make their major tournament debut. CBS Sports describes the change as a downgrade in talent and experience for the team.
CBS Sports reports that Wilson is fully healthy and that her decision is likely related to fatigue, though it notes neither Team USA nor the Aces has given a specific reason.
What Plum Brings to the National Team
Plum missed the 2020 Olympics with a torn Achilles tendon but has won gold with the United States at the 2018 World Cup, the 2022 World Cup and the 2024 Olympics.
At the 2022 tournament in Sydney she was the team's second-leading scorer at 15.8 points per game, behind Wilson. CBS Sports says that when healthy this season, Plum was playing the best basketball of her career.
Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young of the Aces are still playing for Team USA. CBS Sports notes that players at the tournament are likely to play six games in 10 days.
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