Kelsey Plum’s Seductive Photos Go Viral Following Blockbuster Trade
Kelsey Plum is suddenly at the center of attention for two very different reasons.
The WNBA star was involved in another major trade just before the league’s 2026 deadline, ending her short run with the Los Angeles Sparks and sending her to the Phoenix Mercury.
At almost the same time, two revealing photos of Plum began spreading across social media, giving fans something beyond basketball to discuss.
It marks the second consecutive year in which the former WNBA champion has been moved in a blockbuster deal.
Plum spent the first seven seasons of her professional career with the Las Vegas Aces before being traded on January 26, 2025. That three-team deal sent her to Los Angeles while Jewell Loyd landed in Las Vegas.
Plum became one of the biggest names on the Sparks roster, but her stay in California lasted less than two full seasons.
On August 1, 2026, Los Angeles traded her to Phoenix shortly before the WNBA trade deadline. In return, the Sparks received guard Monique Akoa Makani, a 2027 first-round draft pick and a 2028 second-round selection.
The deal immediately became one of the biggest moves of the season.
However, the trade was not the only reason Plum’s name began trending.
One of the photos circulating online shows Plum wearing a bikini while appearing to pull on a black skirt.
The image quickly attracted attention because of her revealing outfit and confident pose. It was soon joined by another photo showing the guard in a different skirt and a white shirt without a bra.
The pictures gave social media users another reason to focus on Plum during an already eventful week.
She has long been one of the WNBA’s most recognizable players, both because of her success on the court and her willingness to show more of her personality away from basketball.
Her fashion choices have regularly drawn attention, but the timing of these photos made them even more noticeable.
Plum had just been traded to a new team, and fans were already searching for updates about her future. That meant almost anything involving her was likely to spread quickly.
The photos soon began competing with the trade itself for attention.
Plum Was Having A Career Season Before Her Injury
The Sparks’ decision to trade Plum came after she appeared in only 12 games during the 2026 season.
She had been playing some of the best basketball of her career before suffering a lower-leg injury on June 21.
Plum averaged 23.9 points per game during those appearances, setting a new career high and earning another All-Star selection.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, that 23.9-point average is the highest ever recorded by a WNBA player who was traded during the middle of a season.
That statistic helps explain why Phoenix was willing to give up a young guard and multiple draft picks to acquire her.
When healthy, Plum is one of the league’s most dangerous offensive players. She can create her own shot, attack the basket and score from long range while also helping teammates find open looks.
Phoenix is hoping she can bring that production to a team making a late push for the playoffs.
Plum is expected to join a Mercury roster that already includes Kahleah Copper and Alyssa Thomas. Adding another proven scorer gives Phoenix a potentially dangerous group as the regular season enters its final stretch.
Her immediate availability will be important after the lower-leg injury kept her away from the court for several weeks.
The Mercury did not make the trade simply for the remainder of the season, however. The move also gives the organization an opportunity to evaluate whether Plum could become part of its longer-term plans.
She is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2026 season.
That contract situation played a major role in Los Angeles’ decision.
Why The Sparks Decided To Move Her
The Sparks faced the possibility of losing Plum in free agency without receiving anything in return.
Rather than take that risk, the organization chose to trade her before the deadline and collect assets that could help with a rebuild.
Monique Akoa Makani gives Los Angeles another guard to develop, while the first- and second-round draft picks provide additional flexibility for future roster moves.
The trade represented a major change in direction for a team that had acquired Plum only the previous year.
When she arrived from Las Vegas, the Sparks appeared ready to build around her as one of their central offensive players. Her scoring during the first part of the 2026 season showed what she could provide when healthy.
Her injury and approaching free agency complicated those plans.
Instead of continuing with a player who might leave at the end of the season, Los Angeles decided to move her while her value remained high.
For Phoenix, the situation offered an opportunity.
The Mercury acquired an established All-Star who was producing at a record-setting scoring pace before getting hurt. If Plum returns to form, she could immediately become one of the team’s most important players.
The move also places her alongside two other experienced stars in Copper and Thomas.
That group could make Phoenix difficult to defend, particularly if Plum is able to regain the rhythm she showed during her 12 games with the Sparks.
Plum Is Back In The Spotlight
The trade has placed Plum at the center of another major WNBA storyline.
Her move from Las Vegas to Los Angeles was one of the biggest transactions of 2025. Just over a year later, she is changing teams again.
That level of movement is unusual for a player with Plum’s résumé.
She won championships with the Aces, became a regular All-Star and established herself as one of the league’s leading guards. Her time in Los Angeles was brief, but she still produced some of the strongest individual numbers of her career.
Now, Phoenix will hope that production follows her to Arizona.
The viral photos have added an entirely different layer to the attention surrounding her.
While basketball fans are debating how she will fit into the Mercury lineup, others are focused on the bikini, skirts and revealing white shirt featured in the images circulating online.
The two subjects have little to do with each other, but their timing ensured Plum would dominate social media conversations.
She is changing teams during the middle of a career season, attempting to return from an injury and preparing for unrestricted free agency.
At the same time, her off-court photos are drawing thousands of reactions.
For the Mercury, the only thing that truly matters will be what Plum can do once she returns to the floor.
If she can reproduce the 23.9 points per game she averaged in Los Angeles, Phoenix may have added one of the most impactful players available at the deadline.
For now, however, fans appear equally interested in the new uniform she will wear and the outfits she was barely wearing in the photos that went viral.
