Not all nicknames are loved, even if they make a person famous. As far as the WNBA\u2019s Kelsey Plum is concerned, she doesn\u2019t like being called \u2018Plum Dawg.\u2019 In fact, she hates it, which has made others in the league, including former player Sue Bird, wonder why she\u2019s cashed in on it.<\/p>\n
Plum, who has averaged 20 points per game this season, has had the \u2018Plum Dawg\u2019 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.<\/p>\n
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 \u2018Dawg\u2019. \u201cI think it was like a joke, and then it kind of stuck with people. Everyone\u2019s Plum Dawg or whatever. I really just prefer to be called like Kelsey or just Plum,\u201d she said via WNBA Got Game on Instagram. But here\u2019s the question: what happens to her brand then?<\/p>\n
The three-time All-Star explained that she doesn\u2019t 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<\/a><\/strong> point guard about Dawg Class,\u00a0a basketball camp founded by Plum.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIf you don\u2019t like your nickname, totally fine\u2026 I get it. There are definitely times where I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve had people say things and you\u2019re like, \u2018No, that doesn\u2019t really vibe.\u2019 You\u2019re totally down to pick your own nickname. But Plum, why\u2019d you name your thing \u2018Dawg Class\u2019?\u201d Bird questioned<\/a><\/strong> during her podcast A Touch More.<\/p>\n Plum has been hosting Dawg Class camps<\/a><\/strong> for three years now. It\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why it was surprising to hear her speak so strongly against the nickname. Bird\u2019s co-host and fianc\u00e9e, Megan Rapinoe<\/a><\/strong>, then offered her thoughts on why that might be the case.\u00a0\u201cMaybe she just like doesn\u2019t like it now. She\u2019s outgrown it. Which I can understand,\u201d Rapinoe opined.\u00a0<\/p>\n