Athletes living extraordinary lives are often faced with a paradox. The higher they go on the ladder of success, the more susceptible they become to dislike and sometimes hostility from different stakeholders. As the Las Vegas Aces pursue their WNBA 3-peat, not everybody is aboard the hype train. And in fans’ eyes, such bias against the defending champs was blatantly visible during a Kelsey Plum play in Game 3 of the semi-final matchup against the New York Liberty.

The Aces’ backs were against the wall after losing 2 games on the trot in New York. But as soon as they were graced with massive home support in Game 3 at the Michelob Ultra Arena, their dominant 2023 self came through. With 16 unanswered points in the third quarter, the Aces pushed their top-seeded rivals into a silent melancholy. Kelsey Plum rose from the ashes of her Game 2 failure (only 6 points in 27 minutes) to put 20 on the board.

However, an absurd situation arose in the third quarter when the Aces were up 16. Liberty Guard Courtney Vandersloot called for a foul, alleging that Plum shoved her while guarding her. This caught the eye of announcer Rebecca Lobo. “What are you looking at? I got pushed,” she said on air, relaying Vandersloot’s comment to the TV audience.

As the replays rolled, it was evident that Kelsey Plum had her left hand on Vandersloot’s abdomen, attempting to distance her farther away from the 3-point line. Consequently, the Liberty’s ‘Floor General’ lost balance and traveled while stepping backward. While Plum’s guarding action barely seemed to have any force behind it, Rebecca Lobo backed Vanderloot’s claim, confidently saying, “She’s right!”

This did not go down well with WNBA fans on X as they severely criticized her alleged bias.

Rebecca Lobo lands in hot water over Kelsey Plum call

Refereeing in the WNBA has been under fire for some weird calls lately. With the league’s viewership skyrocketing in the 2024 season, the calls have come under more heavy questioning. But when a celebrated former All-Star like Rebecca Lobo too backed the seemingly wrong side, fans started doubting her bias against the Aces. “She got touched.. big difference.. Lobo hates Aces.”

Another fan pulled up an image of Kelsey Plum from their away games at the Barclays Center to make their point. The physicality that Sabrina Ionescu displayed there with an arm to Plum’s face looked way worse. Moreover, that foul went uncalled.

This opinion found more backing as the voices against Lobo’s opinion rose. Another user highlighted how Game 1 & 2 witnessed much worse defending. Moreover, they also brought the other semi-final between the Connecticut Sun and the Minnesota Lynx into the conversation, and you know how physical their play styles are.

In recent years, the NBA has also been accused of going too soft. Despite the physicality reducing drastically compared to two or three decades ago, the fouls called on contact and flopping sometimes seem ridiculous. With this in the background, Vandersloot was slammed for demanding a foul on Plum’s acceptable defense.

Over the last year, Rebecca Lobo has also gotten flak for not wholly recognizing the Aces’ success. She commended Caitlin Clark for breaking the rookie scoring record on social media but kept mum about A’ja Wilson surpassing the 1000-point single-season mark on the same weekend. Fans also believed that she was the only voter in 2023 who didn’t rank Wilson in the Top 3 for MVP.

While Aces fans seemed rather irate with Lobo, it is possible that she made a mistake in judgment. During such intense games, even announcers can get swept away by the increasing adrenaline around them. Which side of this debate do you find yourself on?