What is Kelsey Plum's ethnicity? Looking at WNBA champion's cultural roots & more

Kelsey Plum has achieved remarkable success in her basketball career. In just six years since being drafted to the WNBA, she has built an impressive resume that features both a championship victory and an Olympic gold medal.

Plum is currently a member of the Las Vegas Aces. The year 2022 was marked by remarkable achievements for her, including winning the WNBA championship, earning her first All-WNBA First Team selection, being recognized as the MVP in her debut WNBA All-Star Game and clinching a gold medal in the 2022 Women’s Basketball World Cup.

Plum was born in Poway, California, to parents Katie and Jim. She belongs to a Caucasian background.

It's noteworthy that both of her Californian parents pursued athletic careers at the collegiate level.

Her mother, Katie, had a successful volleyball career at the University of California, Davis. She was a member of Aggie teams that finished No. 3 nationally in 1979 and 1980. She is now an athletic trainer.

Her father, Jim, achieved All-American recognition in high school football in La Mesa, California, and later played football and baseball at San Diego State.

Following in their mother's footsteps, Kelsey's two older sisters also pursued careers in volleyball. The eldest, Kaitlyn, joined UC Davis as a digger for the Aggies.

The middle sister, Lauren, achieved recognition with All-Pac-12 and honorable mention All-American honors while serving as a setter for the Oregon Ducks. Additionally, Lauren played a pivotal role in helping USA Volleyball's Junior National Team secure a fourth-place finish, which marked their best-ever placement at the World Junior Championships.

Her younger brother, Daniel, pursued football at UC Davis.

Plum grew up in a household that followed the Christian faith and continued to hold onto her beliefs as she grew older. Her only tattoo reads, "Keep the faith."

Looking at Kelsey Plum’s career

At first, Plum was involved in volleyball and did well within the USA Volleyball junior system. However, her sporting path took a turn when she entered La Jolla Country Day School for her high school education, where she made the decision to transition to basketball.

Plum continued her education at the University of Washington, where she made history. On February 25, 2017, during her senior night, she scored 57 points, which propelled her to break the all-time scoring record in NCAA Division I women's basketball with a total of 3,397 points.

Less than a month later, on March 20, 2017, she further solidified her legacy by establishing a new record for points in a single season, amassing 1,080 points.

Following her collegiate success, Plum was selected as the first overall pick in the 2017 WNBA draft by the San Antonio Stars, which later became the Aces.

In the 2020 Summer Olympics, she clinched a gold medal in women's 3x3 basketball. She won the WNBA Sixth Player of the Year in 2021.

A year later, in 2022, Plum and the Aces defeated the Connecticut Sun in four games during the WNBA Finals. This victory not only secured the franchise's inaugural championship but also marked the first major professional title for a sports team based in Las Vegas.

Plum is averaging 18.7 ppg, 2.4 rpg and 4.5 apg this season.

Her Aces are coming off an easy two-game sweep of the Chicago Sky in the first round of the 2023 WNBA playoffs. With this win, they have advanced to the semifinals for the fifth consecutive season, where they will face the Dallas Wings.

The Aces are looking to win back-to-back championships, a feat not accomplished since the Los Angeles Sparks in 2001 and 2002.