Spike Lee and the WNBA’s Kelsey Plum exchanged some friendly trash talk on the sidelines of the Las Vegas Aces’ playoff game against the New York Liberty.
A video shared via X showed the legendary filmmaker, 67, standing up from his courtside seats to shout something at Plum, 30, during Game 1 of the WNBA semifinals on Sunday, September 29, as the Aces were down 14 points. The WNBA star appeared to shout back to Lee, though exactly what was said between the two couldn’t be heard.
However, whatever Lee told her appeared to fire Plum up enough to score an additional 12 points, finishing the game with 24 points and 4 assists. The New York Liberty still managed to take home the victory, finishing the game 87-77.
“I can’t say exactly what was said, but I told him that he should talk louder,” Plum said of her courtside conversation with Lee in a postgame interview on Sunday. “But it was all well and fun and really cool that he’s here. Even last round, it was really cool that he was here.”
She continued, “I know he’s a big sports fan, so it says a lot that he’s in the building, and he respects the game. So yeah, I was just having fun.”
This is not the first time Lee has had a courtside interaction at a WNBA game. Lee made an appearance at the Liberty’s game against the Atlanta Dream at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on Tuesday, September 24. During the game, per Sports Illustrated, he high-fived Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu who went on to score 23 of her total 36 points in the second half of the game.
“Spike Lee gave me a high five as I was going to take the ball out of bounds. And I felt like New York was just injected into my veins at that moment,” Ionescu, 26, said in a postgame interview at the time. “I was like, we’re winning this. It was just injected, it came all the way through.”
As for Plum, her WNBA season began in May, shortly after she filed for divorce from her husband, New York Giants tight end Darren Waller, after one year of marriage. (The couple, who tied the knot in March 2023 after one year of dating, filed to end their marriage in April.)
“I’m devastated,” Plum wrote via Instagram Story at the time. “I walked through fire for that man, but now I see it’s time to go. God has given me an incredible life, and I’m truly so grateful for the profound love from my family and friends.”
In an interview with Fox in May, Plum spoke about the challenges she had faced since filing for divorce from Waller, 32. “The offseason has been tough for me,” she told the publication. “I mean, I’m sure everyone knows — it’s pretty public. But, for me, I’m super grateful. I think my faith has grown tremendously and, not just that, but I know who I am. You kind of get refined by fire.”
She further told the outlet that she was most excited to get back on the court. “I’m excited about this season. I’m excited about Las Vegas — trying to run it back again — and I know that our fans are with us,” she said in May. “I know this organization is with us. I know that our team is as tight as it’s ever been.”
