Kelsey Plum champions mental health and sports equity with new foundation

LOS ANGELES -- Kelsey Plum of the Los Angeles Sparks and two-time WNBA champion with the Las Vegas Aces dedicated her Friday to launching her new foundation, the Kelsey Plum Foundation, which included an access camp powered by Under Armour, mental health programming, on-court basketball training with the goal of expanding sports access, mental health support, and amplifying community impact in youth development and targeting sports equity. The launch took place at the Heart of Los Angeles Parks and Recreation Center.

Plum, who was candid and at her most vulnerable throughout the camp, emphasized and modeled the importance of authenticity—a lens that isn’t often afforded to professional and public figures. A humanized Kelsey Plum was on full display, full of identity, passion and purpose beyond her sport. While the launch did include a basketball camp, mental awareness and mental resilience took center stage for the Los Angeles Sparks’ point-guard with an insightful Q&A with Sports Psychiatrist Mena Mirhom.Kelsey Plum aims to help her teammates and others feel like the best version of themselves.

Plum emphasized vulnerability, mentorship and mental health during her foundation launch and Under Armour access camp on Friday.#KesleyPlum | #Underarmour | #Lasparks | #WNBA pic.twitter.com/DrkZ6oo4Ft

Plum spoke to a room full of youth about her desire to help people feel like the best version of themselves. She quoted a saying, “People don’t remember much, but they do remember how you make them feel.” The more she shared, the more she became increasingly introspective, expressing that while she knows she isn’t perfect, it’s the daily deposits of reminding those she cares about, including teammates, that she is invested in them. 

She also discussed the impact of  social media with campers.

“We all have social media. It can be great and it can be a way to connect and feel inspired by people’s lives and other parts of the world. It’s also where comparison happens and sometimes you can feel negativity. I think having a perspective on whose opinions really matter. At the end of the day, who I am as a person matters, my family and friends matters.” Additionally, Plum mentioned that she had a challenging go around with someone in the media, and that perspective helped her to persevere.

Moments later, the media had the opportunity to speak to Plum in an intimate space where her Under Armour family surprised her with a birthday cake. 

“Being able to launch this foundation is very special because it’s personal. As a young girl growing up, I had great mentors and support, and I still struggled with confidence and body image issues. In terms of mental health, trying to figure that out on your own is tough and a lot of kids don’t have that. The foundation is about giving kids a humanized experience. Everyone deals with mental health on some type of level; we’re all humans that want to connect.”

“I still struggle, but being able to speak about it helps that struggle. It’s also being able to step back and say, wait a second, you dealt with that? I know for me, having other mentors I talk to on a daily basis share their experiences helped me. Knowing that, and trying to pass down that wisdom and insight is something that we need. I think a lot of times our society talks around things, but we don’t talk about things. I wanted to step in and use my vulnerability as a gift, “ Plum concluded.

A community driven launch, this inaugural event paves the way for many more lives to be touched and for the world to understand Kelsey Plum.