Kelsey Plum reveals why she was so supportive of Caitlin Clark during scoring record pursuit
Kelsey Plum is no longer the scoring leader in Division I Women’s College Basketball history. That now title belongs to Caitlin Clark, and she was supporting the Iowa star every step of the way in her pursuit of rewriting history.
Speaking to ESPN’s Holly Rowe while in attendance of Sunday’s game between South Carolina and Georgia, Plum revealed why she was so willing to help Clark in her pursuit of her own scoring record.
“For me, when I was in that position, I just wanted some love,” Plum said. “And I think that you remember how you feel. You’ve just got to pass it on and I know that whoever comes next, Caitlin will remember that and she’ll do the same.”
The former Washington star set the scoring record in 2017 before becoming a back-to-back WNBA champion with the Las Vegas Aces, and she previously expressed her excitement for Clark to surpass her.
“I’m actually very grateful to pass that baton,” Plum said, via ESPN’s Michael Voepel at the time. “I’m very happy for her.”
Plum scored 3,527 points as part of her storied career at for the Huskies from 2013-17, and is now at No. 2 until another woman comes along and shatters Clark’s record. When Plum set the record, Jackie Stiles held the top spot with 3,393 career points at Missouri State.
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She remembered the amount of pressure she felt as she closed in on the mark, getting caught up in achieving that feat while also trying to help Washington to a 29-6 record and a Sweet Sixteen appearance.
Plum called it a “low point” in her life that saw her identity become caught up in the record. At the time, she pointed out that all of that pressure and attention can be a lot for one person to handle. She asked for the public to realize Clark is more than just a basketball player, “but as a young woman that has feelings and emotions.”
Those emotions were on full display when clark nailed a running 35-foot jump shot from Iowa’s logo to break Plum’s record. Clark can be seen on the broadcast replay flexing her muscles and roaring along with the crowd.
Plum is a two-time WNBA Champion, but never ended up winning a national championship while with the Huskies. Clark still has the opportunity to set herself further apart from the rest of the scoring leaders in women’s college basketball history — but also have the title to back her legacy up even further among the all-time greats.