Aug 5, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; LA Sparks guard Kelsey Plum (10) dribbles the ball up court in the first half against the Indiana Fever at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Kelsey Plum's Blatant Flagrant Kick Foul Raises Eyebrows

Originally posted on Women's Fastbreak on SI
By Grant Young | Last updated Aug 10, 2025 10:45 AM ET

The Los Angeles Sparks suffered a 59-72 defeat to the Golden State Valkyries on August 9, thus bringing their record to 14-16 on the 2025 WNBA regular season, while the Valkyries improved to 15-15.

This matchup has quickly blossomed into a rivalry during the Valkyries' first season after becoming an expansion franchise. Not only is this owed to these two clubs having played each other five times this season (once in the preseason and four times in the regular season), their proximity in both being California teams, and their similar records, but there have been several spicy in-game moments that have seemingly caused friction.

The most recent of these came on behalf of Kelsey Plum during Saturday's game, as she produced a moment that is still leaving many WNBA fans scratching their heads.

Kelsey Plum's Flagrant Kicked Ball Attempt Against Valkyries

Plum was defending against Valkyries standout Veronica Burton with about four minutes remaining in the game, and Los Angeles was losing by 15 points. Burton tried to drive, but Plum stopped her progress, then Burton reset and tried to drive again. This time, Plum clearly kicked out with her left foot, sending both her and Burton sprawling to the floor.

Burton took exception to this, immediately getting up to stand over Plum and share some words. This caused other players to intervene in order to separate the two players.

It's unclear whether Plum was trying to kick the ball or if she was attempting to trip Burton. Regardless, it appeared to be a clear kick attempt, which obviously doesn't have a place in a basketball game.

Several videos of this strange play from Plum have gone viral on social media, with one X user posting the video with the caption, "Kelsey Plum wtf was that kick???????". The post has over 225,000 views in about 12 hours.

Kelsey Plum wtf was that kick??????? pic.twitter.com/wO52Wg2qbN
— AK (@Sudharsan_AK10) August 10, 2025

Plum ultimately received a flagrant foul as a result of this moment. Since she didn't speak with the media after the game, nobody was able to ask her what her thought process was during this play. But perhaps she'll address it at some point in the future.

Where the Sparks Go From Here

Expectations were high for the Sparks during 2025, especially after bringing Plum to their team this past offseason. While Los Angeles' record is now below .500, they're still within range of earning a spot in the playoffs, as they're currently at No. 9 in the WNBA standings (the top eight teams make the postseason).

This article first appeared on Women's Fastbreak on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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