Washington women's basketball legend Kelsey Plum opened up about her emotional jersey retirement during the Huskies' game against Purdue. It was a phenomenal afternoon for the program and its living legend as the team blew out the Boilermakers 87-58. Washington is 13-6 and 4-3 in its first year in the Big Ten Conference.

Ahead of her jersey retirement, Plum gave a heartwarming reaction to this honor.

“I'm just so grateful to be here. It just feels like a full-circle moment. I am proud to represent this university and, honestly, just the people here. I'm just really grateful. Obviously, I wanted to be the best player I could be and play in the WNBA, but I didn't have this type of imagination of what could happen. I think it's going to hit me during the game, finally. I felt like entering the WNBA from Washington, with Seattle being such a basketball city, has always been a cool connection. And then there are so many amazing people on campus that I feel helped me develop a lot of character here. I'm forever grateful for it.”

Kelsey Plum's career at Washington was iconic. From a record standpoint, Plum set a new all-time scoring record for women's college basketball with 3,527 points along with 519 assists. That record stood until Caitlin Clark broke it in 2024. A McDonald's All-American out of high school, Plum went on to be named to four All PAC-12 teams, was a two-time All-American, and won the Naismith College Player of the Year award her senior season.

During her last year in Seattle, Plum led the Huskies to their first Sweet Sixteen appearance since 2000. The all-time great has continued her decorated career in the WNBA and is currently on a Hall-of-Fame path. Plum has been named to three All-Star teams and has won two championships with the Las Vegas Aces. She additionally has a gold medal from the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The Huskies are set to host the Iowa Hawkeyes on January 22 for their next game. Washington is looking to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since Plum's senior season. This year's squad is currently listed as one of the “Last Four Teams In” in ESPN's projected bracket. The good news is that Washington will have plenty of chances to pick up quality wins with several top-ten conference opponents looming on its schedule.