Saturday night’s WNBA All-Star Game between Team Clark and Team Collier saw a powerful display of solidarity by athletes on both sides. With the All-Stars donning warm-up gear with the message, “Pay Us What You Owe Us”, they drew widespread attention on social media platforms.
LA Sparks guard and Team Collier representative Kelsey Plum shared more details about the events leading up to the movement. But in doing so, she also indirectly took a shot at Caitlin Clark and her team. She said:
“As players, we didn’t know that that was going to happen. It was genuine surprise. The t-shirt, just the united front, was determined this morning that we had a meeting for. Not to be a tattletale, but zero members from Team Clark were present for that.”
Plum tried to laugh it off, but even Sabrina Ionescu quickly chimed in, saying, “Not really needed to be mentioned.”
WNBA players HATE Caitlin Clark
Kelsey Plum dissed her for NO reason 😭 pic.twitter.com/BqN2Kn1oQZ
— BricksCenter (@BricksCenter) July 20, 2025
Plum continued by saying that the meeting before the game was an effort to get everybody involved on the same page. Given the platform and the occasion, it was a unique opportunity to get the message across without speaking out about it.
The immediate response to the message was largely positive as fans at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse started chanting, “Pay them!” to show solidarity with the players.
"PAY THEM!"
Fans letting the league know after the WNBA All-Star Game 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/fjk4M5yWLP
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) July 20, 2025
While this display has gotten a lot of traction on social media, positive and negative, the comments made by Plum highlight the growing tensions and mixed sentiments surrounding Clark’s rise.
Considering that Clark has individually been responsible for the recent surge in the league’s popularity, she has also been on the receiving end of some harsh treatment from her contemporaries.
From thinly veiled critique to hard fouls during games, Clark has faced intense scrutiny and physicality early in her WNBA career. But this hasn’t slowed down the Indiana Fever guard’s rapid ascension to stardom, as her consistently brilliant displays with the team continue to draw more attention from audiences.
Plum’s comment was notable, especially given that the Fever guard wasn’t even playing in the All-Star game. Having suffered a groin injury earlier, she was sidelined for the game and limited to just coaching her team.
Regardless, the result of the game was far from being in Team Clark’s favor, as Team Collier walked away with a historic 151-131 win on Saturday night.
With Napheesa Collier setting a league-record for most points in an All-Star Game (36), and Skylar Diggins recording the first triple-double at a WNBA All-Star Game, Saturday night was truly special.
