Kelsey Plum had a playoff career-best game to start off the WNBA Finals on Sunday afternoon with 26 points and five rebounds, but the cherry on top was to do it in front of her favorite athlete, Tom Brady.
Brady, who was one of many celebrities to sit courtside to watch the Aces’ 99-82 over the Liberty, is a minority owner of the Las Vegas team.
Plum chirped at the NFL legend for his appearance
“I looked at him and I said, ‘It’s about effing time you showed up,'” Plum said during her post-game press conference. “But what I love about him was he was just like, ‘You already know.’ Just super excited for his investment in our franchise and understanding what that means for us, and not just us, but the league. And putting eyes on us. I joke around, but man, it’s been awesome to have him and I know he cares.”
Sunday afternoon wasn’t the first time the two interacted.
Brady made an appearance in Las Vegas last season, which had Plum, the wife of Giants tight end Darren Waller, over the moon.
So much so, before the second half, she found him courtside to dap him up and decided to bark at him as well, which was a surprise to her teammates and others.
However, Brady seemed to find the gesture from Plum endearing, as he later sent her a signed jersey.
In March, the seven-time Super Bowl champion purchased a minority piece of the franchise from Mark Davis, the majority owner, who is also the owner of the Raiders.
Brady’s stake was officially approved by the WNBA owners this week.
“It was a matter of time until I was back in the building with some of the greatest athletes in the world,” Brady said in a video when the deal was first announced. “I grew up with three older sisters and they were all incredible athletes in their own right. They were role models to me. It’s where my love of women’s sports began.”
“‘Since I purchased the Aces, our goal has been to win on and off the court,” Davis said. “Tom Brady is a win not only for the Aces, and the WNBA, but for women’s professional sports as a whole.”
Plum’s 26 points contributed to a total of 72 points scored alongside her fellow guards Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray in the Aces’ second-half comeback win in the best-of-five series.
The Aces will face the Liberty in Game 2 on Wednesday at 9 p.m. in Vegas before the series moves to New York for Game 3 on Sunday at 3 p.m.
