Meet Kelsey Plum Parents: The Support Behind the WNBA Star

Kelsey Plum is one of the brightest stars in the WNBA, with scoring and leadership skills, along with championship success with the Las Vegas Aces. However, the life journey that brought her to become one of the greats is built on the support system at home from Katie and Jim Plum. Since a child, growing up in Poway, California, her family has been in her corner throughout her life, from youth sports to setting records as the best in women's college basketball to becoming a perennial top player in the WNBA. With her own athletic family upbringing, seemingly solid family values, and sacrifice, Katie and Jim were unbelievably impactful in shaping Kelsey's mentality and character.

Kelsey Plum parents played a huge role in shaping her into the athlete she is today. Kelsey has often relayed that her parents have been the pillars in her life to get her to the stage, happy or sad, where she wants to play. Whether it was training in their driveway after school or talking after an ugly game, Kelsey in her adult life continues to rely on the emotional intelligence and resilience that her parents provided her with at an early age. That stable influence is still a large part of Kelsey's success story.

Who Are Kelsey Plum Parents?

Kelsey Plum parents are Jim and Katie Plum, a very athletic couple from Poway, California. They raised Kelsey in an athletic yet high-paced environment that was very supportive in how they brought up Kelsey to work on her hard work and persistence. Katie was a volleyball player at the University of California, Davis, and Jim, a multi-sport athlete, played both football and baseball for San Diego State University.

As a family, the Plums are local legends and are widely recognized in their community for their athletic accomplishments and promotion of youth athletics. The family would attend almost all of Kelsey’s games together, which kept displaying how close they were as a family. Kelsey Plum publicly states that she is very close with her parents and regards them as both her biggest fans as well as her biggest inspirations. Their influence on Kelsey can be seen through her initial training in basketball, but also throughout her basketball career in how she met challenges and obstacles in school, what mattered to her, and the pressure, both internal and external, that came with being a successful athlete.

Even today, you can see Katie and Jim in the stands cheering for Kelsey. Their extraordinary effort to contribute to her successful growth as a person and an athlete has created a young woman who embodies mental toughness and a competitive spirit.

Who Is Kelsey Plum Mom? All About Katie Plum

Kelsey Plum parents weren’t just there in the stands—they were part of the hard work behind the scenes. Her mom, Katie Plum, is a former volleyball player at UC Davis who brought a competitive sports spirit and understanding of sports to the role of parenting. After completing college, she worked as an athletic trainer and continued her interest in the physical development, health, and fitness of athletes. This experience allowed Katie to guide Kelsey through the difficult training schedules, the times she was injured, and the pressures will felt to perform.

Katie’s role as Kelsey Plum parent included emotional support when Kelsey struggled with being bullied, academics, etc. In prior interviews, Katie stated that she encouraged Kelsey to repeat the fourth grade in order to build confidence. Kelsey has often remarked about her mom's insight and how calming her presence has been during her most difficult moments. Katie even kept Kelsey’s Olympic Gold medal safe, which is a sign of trust and love. Katie's quiet strength, insight into sport and movement, and unwavering support helped shape Kelsey’s mindset as a champion and leader.

What Does Kelsey Plum Mother Do?

Katie Plum is an athletic trainer, which relates back to her days as a collegiate volleyball player. For her job, she worked in injury prevention, wellness, and rehabilitation, and she always helped an athlete stay healthy and fit, return from injury, and achieve performance goals. She had experienced a lot of what athletes go through, thus she had a great appreciation for the physical toll of competitive athletics, and this facilitated Katie’s contribution along Kelsey’s journey. In this respect, Katie was not merely a passive observer; she contributed to Kelsey’s health and performance. In many cases, she was not a basketball person herself, but certainly was a sports-mentality person, and that did pass on to her daughter. Katie understood the balance between encouragement and making Kelsey accountable for her actions. She also taught Kelsey how to take care of her body and mind.

Katie was not as prominently involved, but since her job was the strength behind it, she was able to influence Kelsey privately. In many ways, Katie helped foster Kelsey’s strong work ethic, recovery practices, and respect for how hard it is to compete at high levels.

How Katie Plum Shaped Kelsey's Career

It’s clear that Kelsey Plum parents raised her with confidence and strong values. Katie Plum shaped Kelsey’s development by providing emotional, physical, and mental support. When Kelsey had difficulty at school, Katie supported her decision to repeat a grade, not as a failure but as a reset; a second chance to develop her confidence and potential. Ultimately, this decision became one of the key pieces to Kelsey’s mental toughness. As Kelsey’s sports career athletic trainer, Katie supported Kelsey’s body and head through difficult training schedules, competitions, and prolonged recovery. She found some comforts of home, but the expectations were coming in like a freight train!

In the house, Katie had a notion of comfort but pushed the importance of recovery, purpose despite discipline, and emotionally fulfilling activity. Kelsey often states that her mom has given her the confidence to keep moving and pushing on, even when doubtful. Furthermore, when Kelsey started to focus heavily on sports, Katie was a strong positive emotional anchor. From keeping all of us on routine to attending games or celebrations, Katie’s commitment to giving Kelsey the strength to pursue excellence and to stay present was critical.

Who Is Kelsey Plum Dad?

Kelsey Plum father is Jim Plum, and he was one of Plum's first sports mentors. Kelsey Plum father was also a talented athlete, as Jim Plum attended San Diego State University on a football and baseball scholarship while earning an All-American distinction in high school football. Jim Plum's multi-faceted athletic background and drive had a lasting impression on Kelsey. He was raising Kelsey's siblings in a family that valued discipline, hard work, effort, and the mental aspect of competition.

During practice in family pick-up games, Jim would make Kelsey play as hard as she could, and Jim never said, “I am going to let you have an easier game”; he was simply conditioning Kelsey to be confident by competing against her best challenger. Jim Plum has been vocal in many interviews about his pride for Kelsey and her accomplishments and work ethic. Jim was the leader and the example that set the tone for Kelsey to be able to perform and execute even in times of pressure. Whether it was just him coaching her in youth basketball or a phrase telling her to stay on her path to the WNBA, Jim has always been there as a strong motivation and consistent presence for Kelsey over the years.

Jim Plum’s Background and Job

A former athlete and educator, Jim Plum was an All-American football player in high school but went on to focus his college career on football and baseball at San Diego State University instead of pursuing the professional sports route. Jim took everything that he learned from sports and sportsmanship as part of his responsibilities as a father and mentor. He had a number of leadership positions and was able to pursue his competitiveness and discipline through his work and his children.

Jim always emphasized to the kids that they earned things and they didn't just wait around to be rewarded for something. Kelsey definitely learned this from Jim and pushed and competed with herself from a very young age. Jim didn't have much of a public footprint, but his impact on Kelsey in her early sporting experiences, while largely behind the scenes, was very important. Jim was always involved in youth sports and family events and was always to be found cheering the loudest for his children and demonstrating expectations and standards. Jim's athletic background was obvious in Kelsey as he helped mold an athlete who is competitive and determined.

His Basketball Influence on Kelsey

Kelsey’s passion for basketball is largely attributable to Jim Plum. Although Jim’s background was in playing football and baseball, he wanted Kelsey to pursue her own dreams with respect to sports. He was adamant that Kelsey was never able to take it easy; even from an early age, Jim sought to challenge Kelsey in their games together. They would frequently play one-on-one, and Jim made a point of challenging her against boys. He was a firm believer in the idea that “You grow through adversity”, therefore, there was no reason for Kelsey to take easy shots.

He instilled grit in Kelsey, as well as discipline; Kelsey has recounted examples of her dad cutting games off short when Kelsey was not showing her game, a lesson in focus and accountability. Together with their skills development, that helped prepare Kelsey with mental strength, which is now evident in her fearless playing style. To Jim, it was not limited to teaching Kelsey how to play; he taught her to lead, to compete, and to stay strong and resilient in the heat of competition. Kelsey’s experiences with her dad are undoubtedly one of the key reasons she never backs down from a challenge.

Kelsey Plum Family

Kelsey Plum is part of a big athletic family that has teamwork, competition, and support as central themes. She has two older sisters: Lauren and Kaitlyn, who played College volleyball, as well as a younger brother: Daniel, who played football at UC Davis. All of the Plum siblings had a goal of being the best, and the family home in Poway, California, was invariably busy, full of activity, training, and motivation. Kelsey and her siblings would frequently challenge each other, and they enjoyed an environment of healthy competition that inspired all of them to train and improve.

Kelsey had a good understanding at a young age, at least of the concepts of winning, losing, and more importantly the idea of perseverance. Their family has always been present together at events and shows a very strong sense of togetherness. Kelsey's achievements in basketball play a larger narrative of a family pursuing the best plans possible. Her parents, and siblings, were key contributors to her success as an elite athlete; on the court and off.

How Kelsey Plum Parents Supported Her Growing Up

Kelsey Plum parents played a huge role in her growth and aided her physically, emotionally, and academically. They supported her through rewarding and difficult times to make sure she had everything she needed, from access to sports facilities to emotional support. They were present during Kelsey’s early basketball games and drove her practices and tournaments while maintaining balance in their careers. Katie looked after Kelsey during her tough school years while Jim helped her toughen up on the court. When Kelsey wanted to repeat the fourth grade, her parents supported this decision as they knew it was what she needed to build her confidence. Both parents told her to work hard and to stay committed, even though success did not come immediately.

In combining love with structure, Kelsey’s parents provided her with balanced parenting and gave her a stable and welcoming environment from which to thrive. Where Kelsey experienced setbacks and lows in her game, her parents helped her feel comfortable as she kept taking aim; where she had quick successes on the court, her parents provided the support that helped her reach higher. Kelsey was able to devote her time to making basketball a career because her parents gave up their own endeavors, whether that was family, work, or other recreation, to help invest in and ultimately turn her potential into real, lasting success at the collegiate level and eventually the WNBA.

What Kelsey Plum Says About Her Parents in Interviews

On many occasions, Kelsey Plum has shared enormous love and gratitude for her parents, both of whom have supported her emotional rollercoaster ride while dealing with bullies and self-doubt. Kelsey credited her mother Katie for her more serious approach to helping her through emotional challenges. Katie taught Kelsey how to make a new leap beyond bullying by having Kelsey repeat a grade. It was an essential juncture, and Katie was showing Kelsey how to navigate a forward trajectory and maintain her given head high and lateral momentum, even amidst continual self-doubt. Kelsey even said that her mom showed her how to find the emotional strength to process and get past the game of basketball.

Kelsey recollected her dad, Jim, as someone who was tough and taught her to have mental strength. Kelsey reflected on how Jim would say, "You don’t make shots, we’re going home early." It was not meant to be cruel; it was only Jim's method for teaching focus and grit. Kelsey said she even gave her mother her Olympic gold medal when Kelsey said to her mother, "It is safe with you." Through her interviews, it is clear that her parents are her best sources of inspiration.