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Kelly CohenESPN
A bet is a bet, and Kelsey Plum is a woman of her word.
Plum, who was just recently named the WNBA’s 2021 Sixth Woman of the Year, lost a bet in January to Las Vegas Aces teammate A’ja Wilson and knew she’d have to pay the consequences.
On Wednesday, Plum posted an Instagram photo of her decked out in South Carolina Gamecocks gear, finally paying her debt to Wilson after months of waiting for her punishment.
“Yes, I lost a bet to A’ja, and of all days, she picked Tuesday for me to wear it to pregame. I’m a woman of my word and so, unfortunately, I had to wear the scarlet red,” Plum said Thursday ahead of Game 2 of the WNBA semifinals (10 p.m. ET, ESPN2/ESPN App).
Plum went to the University of Washington from 2013-17, where she became the all-time leading scorer in NCAA women’s basketball history.
Her college head coach Mike Neighbors became the University of Arkansas head coach in 2017. When the Razorbacks played the University of South Carolina — Wilson’s alma mater — earlier this year, Plum decided to take her chances. On Jan. 18, the No. 6 Gamecocks beat the No. 15 Razorbacks, 104-82.
“It was a close game, we didn’t come through, and for that, I had to pay the price,” Plum said.
Notably, on that same day, a statue of Wilson was unveiled near Colonial Life Arena, where the Gamecocks play. Wilson played at South Carolina from 2015-18 and helped lead the team to their first NCAA title in 2017.
Wilson commented on Plum’s post: “Aye, see what happens when you wear garnet and black” — an ode to Plum’s 25 points performance in the Aces’ Game 1 win against the Phoenix Mercury.
Whether it was the pregame gear or Plum’s skillset, Wilson and the Aces hope the four-year guard can have a similar peformance in Game 2 Thursday night to give their team a 2-0 series lead.