Kelsey Plum wins gold medal with Team USA women’s basketball

The moment every Olympian dreams of is standing on the podium, with a medal around their neck, as their country’s national anthem is played. Kelsey Plum got to experience that moment after helping the United States women’s basketball team beat France, the host country, to win the gold medal.

“I thought it was awesome we did it in France so you know we don’t really have a big group singing the national anthem in the stands you know,” Plum said. “But I didn’t care. I loved it. I was singing loud and proud.”

This was Plum’s first Olympics on the 5-on-5 national team and going to Paris. So, of course, Plum’s family made the trip too. Plum and her family own Fort Myers Broadcasting Company, which is the parent company of WINK News. When it was time to celebrate, Plum made sure they were a part of the moment.

“I went up into the stands and got to hug my mom,” Plum recalled. “And you know I picked up my niece. I got to take her onto the court. She’s three. She was trying to touch the court the entire time. So I figured I won a gold medal I’m allowed to get her from the stands and bring her to the court.”

When her mom, Katie, got to the floor, Kelsey put the medal around her mom’s neck.

Plum said, “my mom has been a rock. This year has been tough for me and I just think that my mom has played a big role to allow me to continue to play basketball at this level.”

This is Plum’s second Olympic gold medal. She won her first in the 2020 Olympic Games with the 3-on-3 team. Competing in the last two Olympics was a goal she set for her self eight years ago.

“You know it’s kind of it’s kind of courageous to be able to set a goal like that pretty high and then go get it,” Plum said. “And so if anything, it’s just a reaffirmation to go big in life.”

Now, Plum has rejoined her teammates on the Las Vegas Aces as they go for a third straight WNBA title. You can watch Plum and the Aces play the Chicago Sky Sunday at noon on WINK.