Kelsey Plum is enjoying a successful season by all measures. She is averaging 23.9 points and 6.4 assists per game, ranking her second in ESPN’s mid-season WNBA player rankings only behind A’ja Wilson. Furthermore, she has been described as one of the most productive guards this season. Yet, she is not a starter for the 2026 WNBA All-Star Game. That omission did not sit well with Sparks head coach Lynne Robers, who made that very clear without any diplomatic softening.

“It’s ridiculous. I mean, it’s ridiculous,” Roberts said, in an interview with John W. Davis. “It’s become a social media popularity contest, not about, you know, who the most impactful players are. She’s by far, I mean, the best one-on-one player in the league. She’s having an MVP season.”

“It’s shocking, but yet not surprising. And I hope our league can get to the point where it’s not just popularity in terms of, you know, social media and it’s actually about what these guys are doing on the court. Well, I believe the vote is a mix between like the fan vote and then players and media, but it still just didn’t work out in her favor.

“I mean, what else does a person have to do if they’re averaging 24 points, six assists, a 5’8 guard shooting above 50% from the field? Like, what else, what else can you do? Other than be super active on social media? Nothing. Like, that seems to be what the parameters are. So, but KP is about winning.”

The voting structure Roberts is pushing back against accounts for 50% of fan votes, 25% of votes from active players, and remaining 25% votes from a distinguished media panel. The starter pool is structured around four guards and six frontcourt players, meaning only four guards can earn starting spots across both All-Star teams from the entire league. For a guard averaging numbers as Plum, missing that cut entirely stings. That explains why the Sparks’ head coach is not hiding her view on what happened.

Beside averaging 23.9 points per game, Plum is also grabbing 2.2 rebounds, dishing 6.4 assists, and recording 1.2 steals per game. Her effective field goal percentage sits at 60.9% and her true shooting percentage at 65.3%. She contributes roughly a third of the team’s assists with a usage rate of 26.7%. And these are numbers just across 12 games, despite missing a huge chunk of this season due to a lower body injury.

Without Plum, the Sparks struggle to keep up. Los Angeles is 7-5 with Plum in the lineup and 1-3 without her. In fact, Plum ranks second in ESPN’s mid-season player rankings, only behind A’ja Wilson. All of these context gives us enough ground about why her All-Star omission should have been otherwise.

Plum is expected to be re-evaluated around July 28, meaning she is looking at close to four weeks on the shelf. However, what the Sparks are left with in her absence is a roster stretched by other injuries and a defense that has struggled to keep up.

Sparks Have Struggled Defensively All Season

The Sparks have the worst defensive rating in the league right now, at 115.3. With Cameron Brink and Kate Martin also sidelined with knee issues, the Sparks are without three players who contribute meaningfully to how they build their game. Defensively, without Brink, there is no anchor at the back end and virtually none to protect the rim. The numbers are a testament to that statement.

The Sparks have now lost three games this season after holding leads into the final five minutes. This was the case against the Las Vegas Aces, Connecticut Sun, and the Dallas Wings so far.

Now, the Sparks have seven games in the next 14 days. They are 8-10, sitting on the wrong side of the playoff line. Roberts’ frustration about the All-Star vote is genuinely understandable. However, the more pressing problem right now is to get Plum and eventually Brink back on the floor before the season slips away for the Sparks.