How Kelsey Plum is set to make more history for UW Huskies

The most decorated player in UW Huskies women’s basketball history is about to share another historic moment with her alma mater.

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The Huskies are retiring the No. 10 jersey of former star Kelsey Plum, the university’s athletics department announced Friday. A jersey retirement ceremony to honor Plum is scheduled for Jan. 18, 2025, when UW hosts Purdue in a Big Ten game.

“I’m forever proud to be a Husky and UW is a special place that fundamentally shaped me both as a basketball player and as a person,” Plum said in a release through the school. “It means the world to me to receive this honor and to celebrate it with my family, friends and alumni. It will be a great feeling to look up at the rafters and see my jersey alongside those that I’ve admired for so long.”

Plum is the first women’s basketball player in school history to have her number retired. Brandon Roy, Isaiah Thomas and Bob Houbregs have had their jerseys retired for the men’s team.

“Kelsey is one of the great basketball players of all time, and she’s a UW legend,” athletics director Pat Chun said in the release. “An Olympic gold medalist and WNBA champion, Kelsey has inspired fans worldwide and countless young basketball players and student-athletes. We’re so fortunate to have Kelsey in the Husky family and honored to celebrate her as one of the greatest to wear the Purple and Gold. We look forward to January and raising that banner with her name on it to the rafters where it belongs.”

Plum set the all-time NCAA Division I women’s career scoring record in a legendary performance where she also scored a Pac-12 single-game record 57 points against Utah during her senior season. Her record of 3,257 career points was bested by former Iowa star Caitlin Clark last season. Plum also set women’s single-season scoring record at 1,109 points during the 2016-17 campaign, which was bested by Clark last season as well.

Plum led the Huskies to their first-ever Final Four appearance in 2016 and was named the Associated Press National Player of the Year and Pac-12 Player of the Year during her record-setting 2016-17 campaign. She was a four-time All-Pac-12 selection, the 2014 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and set single-game Pac-12 record with 57 points in a game against Utah during her senior season.

The Poway, California, native went on to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 WNBA Draft by the San Antonio Stars (now the Las Vegas Aces) – becoming the first basketball player in UW history to be a No. 1 pick.

The 30-year-old Plum won back-to-back WNBA titles with the Aces in 2022 and 2023. She’s a three-time All-Star and was named first-team All-WNBA in 2022 and Sixth Woman of the Year in 2021.

Plum won Olympic gold in 3×3 basketball in 2020 and in 5-on-5 in 2024, which made her and teammate Jackie Young the first basketball players to win gold in both.

UW is launching its “Forever 10” celebration in honor of Plum during Saturday’s homecoming football game against USC.

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