The controversy began after the July 19 All-Star Game in Indianapolis. Players wore “Pay Us What You Owe Us” shirts in a show of unity during collective bargaining talks with the league. During the postgame press conference, Plum joked that “zero members of Team Clark were very present” for the pregame meeting about the shirts.

Los Angeles Sparks star Kelsey Plum said she was joking when she took a verbal shot at Caitlin Clark and her team at the All-Star Game last month, comments that drew significant pushback. “I made a really bad joke,” Plum said on Sue Bird’s “Bird’s Eye View” podcast that dropped Friday.

After the game, Los Angeles Sparks star Kelsey Plum, in some odd comments, singled out Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark and Team Clark for apparently not showing up to a meeting in which the players were planning the shirt demonstration. It was perceived as a slight towards Clark, especially on social media.