Washington’s most acclaimed Women’s Basketball player returned to Alaska Airlines Arena earlier this year to witness her #10 jersey elevated skyward, never to be worn again.
It’s a rare honor. Only six court-sport players’ jerseys have been retired, and Kelsey Plum is the first Women’s Basketball player to earn the accolade. The others are Volleyball players Courtney Thompson and Krista Vansant and Men’s Basketball players Isaiah Thomas, Brandon Roy and Bob Houbregs.
Kelsey led the Huskies to the program’s first ever Final Four in 2016 and set the NCAA all-time scoring record her senior season, holding the title from 2017 to 2024. She was a Wooden Award All-American and Naismith Award Semifinalist. A two-time All-American, Kelsey was named National Player of the Year and was the No. 1 pick in the 2017 WNBA draft — the first Husky No. 1 in UW basketball history. With the Las Vegas Aces, she won two WNBA championships, and she helped team USA capture gold, first at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and again at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“You’ve shown us what greatness looks like. Today, we make 10 forever,” UW Director of Athletics Pat Chun proclaimed to the sold-out crowd, who also came to see the Washington women overpower Big Ten rival Purdue, 87-58.
Many of Kelsey’s teammates, coaches and other admirers paid tribute to the California native in videos. In turn, Kelsey thanked God, her family, her teammates, Athletic Department academic staff and many others for her success.
“I get my name up there,” she said, “but this is really just a testament to the women in the UW program who established the foundation to allow me to do this.”
“Dream as big as you possibly can because anything is possible,” Kelsey concluded.
