Beyond their court exploits and victory parade, there’re a lot of stories making consecutive championships special for the Las Vegas Aces. The remarkable rise of their talented point guard Kelsey Plum to realize her dream is one. The No.10 of the Las Vegas Aces had an amazing journey from a record-breaking NCAA athlete to a professional pro.

Plum’s struggle is nothing new for anyone who wants to carve a path for success in basketball. However, things were pretty intense as she faced endless challenges throughout her career.

The competitive journey of Kelsey Plum

Plum was one of the greatest shooters when she played college basketball. She carried athletic genes as her father played baseball and a football and her mother was a volleyball player. In addition to this, Kelsey had three siblings who were all Division One athletes. Kelsey’s father implemented a very competitive household environment. Ingrained with toughness and grit, Kelsey developed an interest in basketball idolizing Dianna Taurasi. As she was taking strides in her career, she was often laughed at by many including her coach. Following her parent’s advice, Kelsey decided to prove her wrong and set herself on the path to achieve her goals.

Kelsey Plum finished her high-school career scoring 2247 points. Moreover, she averaged 20 points and 677 rebounds to go with 381 assists. The McDonald’s All-American signed with the University of Washington in 2013. Her desire and leadership made her the captain as a freshman. Furthermore, she set six Washington freshman records. As a result, Kelsey was the Freshman of the Year for the Pac-12 Conference. She averaged 22 points in her next season. In her junior season, she helped her team reach the NCAA? Final Four by averaging 26 points per game. Kelsey set the NCAA women’s basketball career scoring record with her 57 points against Utah. In addition, she ended her senior season claiming the NCAA Women’s basketball single-season record with 1109 points. Kelsey also became the NCAA all-time leading scorer with 3527 points.

Read More: Spending 2 Years on Bench, Suffering a Career Threatening Injury and Loss of Father, Kelsey Plum?s Emotions Run High for Inspiring Teammate

Just as it seemed she was living a dream, Kelsey was hit by a reality check.

Kelsey Plum’s grim phase

Kelsey Plum was the No.1 pick for the San Antonio Stars in the 2017 WNBA draft. However, Plum had suicidal thoughts while suffering from depression. Her rookie season didn’t turn out the way she expected. The Stars ended the season with the second-worst record as a team. Moreover, Kelsey had a dismal average of 9 that season. The San Antonio Stars were renamed as the Las Vegas Aces in 2018. Unfortunately, in 2020 Kelsey tore her Achilles. However, her never-give-up attitude recovered her in 10 months. She made her return for the Aces and won the WNBA Sixth Player of the Year.

She became the WNBA All-Star Game MVP by scoring 30 points. Subsequently, she won her first championship ring after the Aces beat the Connecticut Suns in the Finals.

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Kelsey Plum had rollercoaster ride throughout her career. Nevertheless, she accomplished the things she wished for as a child.