The WNBA season is only six games deep for the Los Angeles Sparks, and they may have an unfortunate injury situation on their hands ahead of Friday’s game against the Washington Mystics.
On Tuesday, during a team practice, All-Star Kelsey Plum reportedly suffered a lower right leg injury during a five-on-five scrimmage. She was helped off the court by teammates soon after suffering the injury.
Advertisement
According to Los Angeles Clippers and Sparks journalist Justin Russo, head coach Lynne Roberts indicated that it appeared Plum had an ankle injury, but she was uncertain of its severity.
Plum’s potential injury arrives as she is leading the team in scoring with 26.8 points per game and assists with 6.3 per game.
The Sparks began their season at 1-3 before winning their last two games, including a 101-95 win over Las Vegas. Plum led the team in scoring in five of the six games this season, including a season high of 38 points against the Aces.
More news: Reggie Miller Sounds Off on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Flopping Criticism
After multiple seasons with the Aces, Plum joined the Sparks’ roster last year, participating in 43 games, the most of her WNBA career. It also led to her most minutes per game and second-best scoring average of her career.
Advertisement
Losing a player such as Plum could be detrimental to the Sparks for an extended period, although WNBA teams have shown the ability to weather injuries to star players. Last season’s Indiana Fever is a strong example of that, as they were without Caitlin Clark for a significant amount of games and nearly reached the WNBA Finals.
She missed the entire 2020 WNBA season after suffering an injury to her Achilles tendon and undergoing surgery to repair it. The team still qualified for the postseason, but was swept by the Seattle Storm with Plum watching from the sidelines.
If Plum misses games, they’ll look to their other stars to step up, including second-leading scorer Dearica Hamby and Nneka Ogwumike, as well as their 2024 No. 2 pick Cameron Brink. Hopefully, this is not a serious setback for the four-time WNBA All-Star and two-time champion.
In positive news, Plum’s teammate, Nneka Ogwumike, was on the practice court on Tuesday after missing the Sparks’ last game against the Aces. According to Russo, she had a “slight wrap on her left thumb area.”
Advertisement
Los Angeles has several days off to evaluate Plum’s injury, with their next game against the Mystics tipping off at 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday night.
More news: Caitlin Clark Sends Strong Message About Fever Rookie Raven Johnson
For more about the WNBA, head over to Newsweek Sports.
Related Articles
