Los Angeles Sparks guard Kelsey Plum has got off to a blistering start to the season, but an untimely injury will sideline the league’s leading scorer.
The Sparks (3-3) announced that Plum will miss at least one week after suffering a sprained ankle during practice on Tuesday. The injury timeline means Plum won’t be available for the Sparks’ upcoming road matchups against the Washington Mystics (2-3) and Connecticut Sun (1-7) on Friday and Sunday, respectively.
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Plum is coming off her best game in purple and gold on Saturday, where she recorded 38 points and 9 assists against her former team in the Sparks’ 101-95 win over the Las Vegas Aces. She shot 12-of-17 from the field, 6-of-7 from 3 and became the fastest player in franchise history to reach 1,000 career points in 49 games.
Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts called Plum’s performance, which helped her claim the AP Player of the Week honor for the fourth time in her career, “the most unselfish 38 points I’ve ever seen.”
“I’m just trying to go out and be super patient and really just take what the defense gives and kind of just let it come,” Plum said after the win. “I just want to get better. I want to get better every year. I want to come back every year better. And I think that it’s one thing to score, but my biggest thing this year is just efficiency. My dream would be to go 50, 40, 90.”
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Only two players in WNBA history have finished the regular season with a 50% field goal percentage, 40% 3-point field goal percentage and 90% free throw percentage — Elena Delle Donne (2019) and Napheesa Collier (2025). So far, Plum is averaging a career-high 26.8 points, shooting 58.9% from the field, 48.2% from 3 and 82.9% from the free-throw line.
“I know that’s going to be tough. I didn’t know the free throws were going to be kicking my (expletive) right now,” Plum added. “But other than that, I just think I got there and play and I’m trying to win games right now.”
Plum’s injury marks the latest for the Sparks. Nneka Ogwumike was sidelined from the Sparks’ win over the Aces with a left hand injury on Saturday.
Reach USA TODAY National Women’s Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson at chenderson@gannett.com and follow her on X at @CydHenderson.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kelsey Plum injury update: Sparks guard sidelined with ankle sprain
