Kelsey Plum, a guard for the Los Angeles Sparks, expressed her frustration with a “Ticktuck” foul call after the team lost to the Golden State Valkyries in overtime on Monday night.
After the game, Plum appeared quite emotional, voicing her complaints about what she perceived as biased officiating.
“I’ll probably get fined for saying this, but I drive to the basket more than anyone else in the league. Only getting six free throws is absolutely ridiculous,” Plum stated following the Sparks’ 91-89 loss in their inaugural season as the 13th WNBA expansion team.
“I’ve hurt my face and my body, yet guards from other teams seem to get these ticktuck fouls. I’m just done with it. Likkea [Jackson], a forward for the Sparks, always gets fouled on postings, and they don’t call it. I’m not sure what else I can do; it’s genuinely frustrating,” she added.
Plum, who scored 24 points—hitting four three-pointers and dishing out seven assists—highlighted several examples of non-calls that occurred late in the game.
“At the end, they were missing calls left and right. I can’t count how many times we were fouled. It’s just absurd to only have six free throws when I play 40 minutes. I’m in the paint almost every play,” she continued, clearly exasperated. “But hey, if I get fined, so be it. I still needed to make more shots during the game, but they were fouling me like crazy.”
The fouls were a notable point, with the Sparks committing 23 fouls compared to the Valkyries’ 25.
During the fourth quarter, Plum reached a personal milestone of 1,000 career assists.
Sadly for the Sparks, they struggled in overtime, missing eight of nine field goals, allowing the Valkyries to secure victory.
Plum is currently in her first season with the Sparks after a trade from the Las Vegas Aces, where she helped the team win two WNBA championships in 2022 and 2023.
Before this game, her statistics included an average of 21.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 1.9 steals per game.
The Sparks now hold a 3-7 record as they prepare to take on the Las Vegas Aces (4-3) on Wednesday.
