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Los Angeles Sparks guard Kelsey Plum drew criticism for snitching on Caitlin Clark and members of Team Clark during the post-All-Star Game press conference last Saturday.

According to critics, Plum did not have to mention that Team Clark wasn’t at the players’ only meeting where the WNBA All-Stars decided to wear t-shirts with a message that stated: “Pay us what you owe us.”

Fox Sports’ Colin Cowherd also chastised Kelsey for taking a dig at Clark.

“The t-shirts don’t bother me. But why do you take a shot at the Golden Goose Caitlin Clark? You guys were flying before she arrived on one of those airlines that made you pay for a cup of water, one of those airlines where the planes are the color of a highlighter. Now you’re flying private,” said Cowherd.

Clark paved the way for chartered flights and upgraded hotels

It can be recalled that Plum called Saturday’s silent protest a “very powerful moment” for the All-Stars because they proved that they could deliver a strong message without saying a word. However, she made special mention of the absence of Clark and her team, although jokingly.

It’s unclear why members of Team Clark weren’t at the meeting, though. But despite that, all of them still joined their fellow All-Stars in wearing the protest shirt, which was the most important thing. Cowherd also explained why Plum should’ve just kept it to themselves, who attended the meeting and who didn’t.

“If you’re in a band and you’re staying at the Motel 6 and you add a band member and now you’re at the Ritz Carlton, keep your issues to yourself. You went from Motel 6 in a sketchy part of town to the four seasons in the shopping district. Stop talking. I don’t mind the t-shirts. I think you have leverage. I think you deserve more than 9 percent, but it’s just misstep after misstep. It’s time to grow up, girls, like fast. This is the player that got you off the airline that was bright yellow. She got you an upgrade to a better hotel,” Cowherd added.

The Caitlin effect

Clark’s arrival in the WNBA hasn’t only sparked great interest in the league, but it has also improved the quality of basketball life for WNBA stars. Last year, after Clark was drafted, the league announced that they would commence full-time chartered flights for all teams instead of teams flying commercial. Now, they are trying to negotiate a raise in player pay.

“I think they deserve a big raise, maybe not 50 percent of revenues. Because NBA stars, there are a lot of them and they move the needle. The WNBA stars, well, there’s one,” Cowherd continued.

The one that Colin is talking about is Caitlin. And he, like many fans, doesn’t understand why a lot of her peers continue to resent her, despite her being the main reason why fans are in stadium seats and why they might finally get a salary increase soon.

If Caitlin had not worn the “Pay us what you owe us” shirt during the warmups, then it might have been okay for Kelsey to call her out.

But she wore it proudly like everyone else.

This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 22, 2025, where it first appeared.