Kelsey Plum will not play again in the 2026 WNBA season. The Phoenix Mercury announced the news on August 31, citing the 32-year-old guard's ongoing lower-leg injuries. She appeared in only five games and played 105 minutes after being traded from the Los Angeles Sparks at the midseason deadline.
According to ESPN, the decision was reported by Alexa Philippou, who broke the news on social media. Plum's season ends with a sharp contrast between what she was before the injuries and what she became after them.
Before the ankle injury struck early in the year, Plum was having the best season of her career. In 12 games with the Sparks, she averaged a career-high 23.9 points per game. That production made her one of the most talked-about players in the league heading into the summer. Then the ankle gave out. She missed games, returned, and then suffered a separate lower-leg injury that never fully healed.
Despite the injuries, Plum was still moved at the trade deadline, landing with Phoenix. She managed to play in four consecutive games after arriving, but then missed more time before appearing in one final game. Her numbers in Mercury games dropped to 15.8 points per game. After that, the team and player decided to shut it down.
The injury timeline makes the trade look complicated in hindsight. The Mercury acquired a player who had been one of the league's top scorers, but got a version of her that was clearly compromised. Whether one injury or both contributed to her decline is still not entirely clear, according to Yahoo Sports.
The fallout extends beyond the WNBA regular season. Plum was also set to compete in the 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup, but she and Las Vegas Aces star A'ja Wilson both withdrew from the event on Monday, both citing injuries. To fill their spots, USA Basketball turned to Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen of the Washington Mystics.
Plum signed a one-year deal worth $999,999 with the Sparks last offseason. That contract is now finished, and she will enter free agency again once the season ends. If she recovers fully, she figures to draw significant interest on the open market given the level she showed before the injuries took hold.
