"It wasn't meant as a shot at Caitlin Clark" - Jason Whitlock defends Kelsey Plum's controversial stance tied to Fever star's ‘Pay Us’ shirt absence

Veteran sports analyst Jason Whitlock chimed in on the viral remarks of LA Sparks star Kelsey Plum following the All-Star Game on Saturday. Plum made a joke that no members of Caitlin Clark's team were present when the WNBA players were planning to wear the "Pay Us What You Owe Us" statement shirts.

On Monday, Whitlock defended Plum, saying the two-time WNBA champion's joke just didn't land.

"I'm not a fan of Kelsey Plum. But I think people are doing too much with this comment. She tried to crack a joke, and like most female comedians the joke didn't land. It wasn't meant as a shot at Caitlin Clark. My 2 cents."

In a postgame interview on Saturday, Plum was asked about the players wearing the statement shirts, which were meant to be a reference to the ongoing CBA negotiations.

"Not to tattletale: zero members of Team Clark were very present for that."

New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu, who was with Plum at the podium, disagreed with Plum.

"Not really needed to be mentioned," Ionescu said, eliciting laughter.

Plum would then clarify that she was just joking:

"I'm trying to make the situation light, okay?"

The 2025 WNBA All-Stars, led by captains Clark and Napheesa Collier, all wore the statement attire before the All-Star Game.

On Thursday, the WNBA brass met with the players' union face-to-face. According to several reports, the meeting did not go well as they failed to reach a new CBA.

Jason Whitlock slams Team Collier for allegedly taking credit for 'Pay Us' shirts

Jason Whitlock slammed Kelsey Plum and Napheesa Collier's team after a recent report surfaced on X. ESPN's Ramona Shelburne tweeted that WNBA players have discussed wearing statement shirts for "over a week."

While only a few members of Caitlin Clark's team were present at breakfast, league sources told Shelburne that Collier, Breanna Stewart and Nneka Ogwumike went to Team Clark's locker room before the game to make sure that everyone was "on board." Stewart, Ogwumike and Plum are all part of Team Collier.

Whitlock quote-tweeted Shelburne's tweet and wrote:

"Team Collier fighting for full credit on one of the dumbest ideas in marketing history. As I stated earlier today, this was not some sort of early morning, game-day idea. This mistake was planned in advance."

The WNBA players aim for a larger revenue share and increased salaries and benefits. The players' union opting out of the current CBA came on the heels of the league's increased popularity and growth. In addition, the league's 11-year, $2.2 billion media rights deal starts next season, and the players hope to get a share of it as well.

Edited by Kim Daniel Rubinos