During the Las Vegas Aces' win against the New York Liberty in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals, Aces' star guard Kelsey Plum — one of the league's most notorious trash-talkers — called out Tom Brady.
Brady — who was sitting courtside for Sunday's Game 1 contest — was approached by Plum during the game and, according to Plum's postgame press-conference, told him, "it's about f—in time you showed up."
Brady responded to Plum's call-out with a head-nod, and said, "you already know." Then Brady took to X once the game ended, confirming the interaction and adding, "Nobody is safe from [Kelsey Plum]."
Nobody is safe from KP ? @LVAces @Kelseyplum10 https://t.co/EV1an1k4yI
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) October 8, 2023
Along with wanting to watch world-class basketball, Brady attended the Aces' game because he's now a team owner. Last week, the WNBA officially approved the retired NFL quarterback's purchase of a minority share of the Aces — which means we'll be seeking much more of Brady at future Aces games.
Plum's jest was all in good fun. In fact, when asked about the Aces' new minority owner in her postgame presser, Plum revealed her respect for Brady.
"Just super excited for his investment in our franchise and understanding what that means, not just us but the league and putting eyes on us," Plum said. "I joke around, but it's been awesome to have him, and I know he cares. He has daughters and nieces that play women's sports so he understands the investment that it takes, so it's cool to be a part of."
Brady wasn't the only GOAT in attendance for Sunday's game, as LeBron James was also sitting courtside next to WNBA icon Sheryl Swoopes. Mark Wahlberg was also in the building, and so were singers Jordin Sparks and Ashanti, who performed the game's national anthem and at halftime, respectively.
It's no surprise that the stars showed up for this WNBA Finals matchup. The Aces and Liberty have been the top two teams in the WNBA all season long, with the Aces producing a 34-6 regular season record and being the #1 playoffs seed, and the Liberty being seed #2 after finishing the regular season with a 32-8 record. Each team boasts a roster loaded with many of world's very best female basketball players, including 2023 WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart for the Liberty and 2022 WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson for the Aces.
While the Aces won Game 1 with relative ease — outscoring the Liberty 53-33 in the second half to win the game 99-82 — one would imagine Game 2 on Wednesday will be a closer contest.
Although Tom Brady is probably hoping for another blowout.
