Kelsey Plum lifts the lid on the fierce world of WNBA trash talk.

Kelsey Plum, the two-time WNBA champion, talked about WNBA trash talk controversy on the podcast “All The Smoke” with hosts Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson.

The discussion was centered around the NCAA women’s basketball national championship game in April 2023, where LSU’s Angel Reese and Iowa standout Caitlin Clark engaged in some heated trash talk. The incident sparked controversy and raised questions about the role of trash-talking in sports.

Barnes asked Plum, who is worth $5 million (per ClutchPoints) for her thoughts on the matter, and the Las Vegas Aces point guard shared some interesting insights into the world of WNBA trash-talking.

“Honestly, it’s people feel insecure,” Plum said. “You have like a strong black woman player, that’s confident in herself and knows what she’s talking about, and she’s just saying what she feels, I think a lot of people were like, whoa, like, how do I feel about this?”

“I think it’s the same way with women in general,” she added. “You should see some of the things that people say on W Games. Like, I don’t even know if they would ever mic us up, but we talk like y’all talk. There’s no difference. It might even be cattier. It’s probably more personal, too.”

After the incident, Angel Reese was criticized on social media for mimicking WWE star John Cena’s “you can’t see me” gesture towards Clark, and pointing to her ring finger.

However, Clark herself had made a similar gesture during Iowa’s victory over Louisville in the Elite Eight.

Caitlin Clark took a stand for Angel Reese

Angel Reese #10 of the LSU Lady Tigers reacts towards Caitlin Clark #22 of the Iowa Hawkeyes during the fourth quarter during the 2023 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament championship game.

Following the incident during LSU’s 102-85 victory over Iowa, Caitlin Clark came to Angel Reese’s defense.

“I don’t think Angel should be criticized at all,” Clark told ESPN last year. “No matter which way it goes, she should never be criticized for what she did. I’m just one that competes — and she competed.”

“I think everybody knew there was going to be a little bit of trash talk in the entire tournament. It’s not just me and Angel,” Clark added.

Clark believes alike men, women should also be allowed to express their emotions during the game.

“Men have always had trash talk…You should be able to play with that emotion … That’s how every girl should continue to play,” Clark said.

Meanwhile, Angel Reese was unapologetic in the post-game conference.

“I don’t fit in a box that you all want me to be in,” Angel Reese said. “I’m too hood. I’m too ghetto. But when other people do it, you all say nothing. So this was for the girls that look like me, that’s going to speak up on what they believe in. It’s unapologetically you.”