Both WNBA All-Star teams made waves at last month’s All-Star Game by donning shirts that read “Pay Us What You Owe Us,” sending a clear message ahead of the looming collective bargaining negotiations after the 2025 season. But unfortunately, Kelsey Plum’s comments after the All-Star Game somewhat overshadowed the message, which she deeply regrets.

In an off-handed comment at the postgame press conference after last month’s All-Star Game, Plum made light of the fact that Caitlin Clark’s Team Clark did not appear at the meeting prior to the game, where it was decided that they would wear the shirts.

Some took this comment as shade thrown at Clark or others on her team that perhaps suggested not everyone was aligned on the decision to wear the shirts. But during an appearance on the Bird’s Eye View podcast hosted by WNBA legend Sue Bird, Plum cleared up how the comment was simply a joke gone wrong.

“I made a bad joke,” said Plum. “I made a really bad joke. Tough one. Hindsight is 20/20. Because of the shirts, because of the fans, I should have known it was a way more serious moment than a typical All-Star Game. I went into that press conference very happy-go-lucky, we won, had a great weekend. My family was here; it was just a great time. The questions came in, and they were like CBA, this, this. And honestly, I was like, ‘Hey, Team Clark, they didn’t make it to the meeting either.’ Just making a joke to make the room lighter.

“I was making a joke that they’re hungover, even though our team nickname was hungover. So at least we made it. Obviously, we’re all on the same page. We all wore the shirts, we’re all unified. If anything, I was more discouraged because it took away from the moment of what we were trying to do. You don’t even get to respond. And if you do, you seem defensive. That’s why I didn’t even say anything. I was like, alright. So, you just have to let it go, thick skin.”

To be fair to Plum, tensions were quite high for obvious reasons after making a statement to league owners in this fashion. So, it’s understandable for her to want to lighten the mood, even if the comment looks like a negative one without much-needed context.

It sure seems like the vast majority of WNBA players are indeed aligned on fighting for the salaries they feel they deserve in CBA negotiations. It will certainly be interesting to see whether they ultimately get a pay increase, or potentially are headed towards a WNBA strike, as stars like Angel Reese and Dijonai Carrington have already suggested is a real possibility.