Not all nicknames are loved, even if they make a person famous. As far as the WNBA’s Kelsey Plum is concerned, she doesn’t like being called ‘Plum Dawg.’ In fact, she hates it, which has made others in the league, including former player Sue Bird, wonder why she’s cashed in on it.
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Plum, who has averaged 20 points per game this season, has had the ‘Plum Dawg’ nickname since she entered the league as the No. 1 pick in 2017. It could be a reference to the popular movie Slumdog Millionaire, but it mainly serves as a symbol of her tough mentality during games and in the clutch.
What started as a joke became so common that it stuck. Plum wants people to call her by just her first or last name. Just remove the word ‘Dawg’. “I think it was like a joke, and then it kind of stuck with people. Everyone’s Plum Dawg or whatever. I really just prefer to be called like Kelsey or just Plum,” she said via WNBA Got Game on Instagram. But here’s the question: what happens to her brand then?
The three-time All-Star explained that she doesn’t want a nickname to define how tough she is. She just wants people to naturally associate those traits with her, which is understandable when you look at it from her perspective. Bird, however, asked the LA Sparks point guard about Dawg Class, a basketball camp founded by Plum.
“If you don’t like your nickname, totally fine… I get it. There are definitely times where I’m sure you’ve had people say things and you’re like, ‘No, that doesn’t really vibe.’ You’re totally down to pick your own nickname. But Plum, why’d you name your thing ‘Dawg Class’?” Bird questioned during her podcast A Touch More.
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Plum has been hosting Dawg Class camps for three years now. It’s a three-day event that brings in the best female collegiate basketball guards in the country to train. Plum helps them refine not just their skills, but also their leadership and mentality.
That’s why it was surprising to hear her speak so strongly against the nickname. Bird’s co-host and fiancée, Megan Rapinoe, then offered her thoughts on why that might be the case. “Maybe she just like doesn’t like it now. She’s outgrown it. Which I can understand,” Rapinoe opined.
Bird, however, recalled a conversation with Plum, which could explain why she doesn’t like the “Plum Dawg” nickname.
“I get Plum’s point, though,” Bird continued. “Plum and I had a lengthy conversation on Bird’s Eye View. And I do think at times, when you’re excellent at certain areas of the game, it’s almost forgotten that you can do other stuff well,” Bird shared.
“That’s almost exactly why Plum said she didn’t like the nickname in the interview. She doesn’t want to be defined by it and even mentioned this to Bird on a separate podcast before. Still, it feels odd that she continues to run her Dawg Class camp with Under Armour if she dislikes the name so much.
Now that her feelings are public, people may start to use the nickname less. But it will be awkward if she keeps hosting the camp each year while asking not to be called that. She should either come up with a new name for it or just ignore the contradiction and keep cashing those Under Armour endorsement checks.
