In the aftermath of the Las Vegas Aces' 2023 WNBA championship win over the New York Liberty, a lot of emotions have come out from the Aces' side of things. In particular, Kelsey Plum couldn't fathom just how much adversity the Aces have overcome en route to winning their second straight title, and in expressing her feelings, she appeared to take a shot at the Liberty team, saying that compared to the Aces, they weren't much of a “team” and that they “don't care” about each other.
This naturally drew some backlash from Liberty players, with Jonquel Jones voicing out her displeasure towards the statements Plum made, even calling them “classless”. As a result, the Aces guard had to explain herself via an apology on her official Twitter (X) account, saying that it was never her intention to throw some shade at the Liberty.
At the very least, Liberty general manager Johnathan Kolb was more understanding of the comments Kelsey Plum made, choosing to overlook the downright offensive parts of what the Aces star said and instead focusing on what she really meant beneath the surface.
“I do believe her words were taken a bit out of context to be fair to her. I think what she was trying to say is they’ve [Las Vegas] have gone through it,” Kolb said, via Khristina Williams of SNY. “They've been on teams that have lost. They've been on teams where maybe their locker room wasn't the best, and they've stuck together and persevered.”
NY Liberty GM Johnathan Kolb on Kelsey Plum comment: “I do believe her words were taken a bit out of context to be fair to her. I think what she was trying to say is they’ve [Las Vegas] have gone through it. …” ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/gcKgzVMlCM
— Khristina Williams (@Khristina) October 21, 2023
Nevertheless, the Liberty GM clarified that the team he has built is indeed “a team” and that they “do care about each other”, perhaps just paling in comparison to the degree the Aces do due to their relative lack of continuity. Johnathan Kolb said that it's just difficult to assess this and evaluate it accurately if you do not belong in the locker room.
Whatever the case may be, perhaps the Liberty can just use Kelsey Plum's comments to fuel what should be a strong 2024 season for them as long as they bring back their most crucial pieces. And who knows maybe, we get a sequel to the Liberty's burgeoning rivalry against the Aces.
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