Kelsey Plum has shared two separate tattoo stories. A 2022 ESPN profile describes “Keep the faith” on her right forearm. At the 2025 WNBA All-Star weekend, she mentioned a different tattoo she regretted and was trying to remove, but didn’t identify its design or placement.
Kelsey Plum’s “Keep the Faith” Tattoo
ESPN reported that Plum’s right-forearm script was her only tattoo at the time. She traced the phrase to her father, who encouraged her with “Plummer! Keep the faith” during a difficult stretch in her basketball career. Plum was struggling with the professional transition and trying to enjoy the game again.
The design is a short line of script. Its meaning comes from the person and moment she connected it to, not from a broader sports slogan. Plum was already a standout at Washington and became the NCAA women’s all-time leading scorer, then entered the WNBA as the 2017 No. 1 pick. The expectations were high, but the transition was not simple.
This action photo shows Plum’s right forearm, though the small lettering isn’t clear enough for a close transcription. The wording and placement come from ESPN’s reporting, not from enlarging the image.
A Later Chapter in Plum’s Public Story
At the 2025 All-Star weekend, ESPN’s “Never Have I Ever” segment asked Plum whether she regretted a tattoo. She answered that she had “got married and divorced” and was still trying to have a tattoo removed. She didn’t say what the design was or where it sat. The comment is separate from the 2022 account, which called “Keep the faith” her only tattoo at the time. There’s no basis for assuming the forearm phrase is the one she wants removed or guessing that the later design was a ring tattoo.
A Career That Took Patience
Plum moved from Washington’s record-setting college career into the WNBA in 2017. She began with the San Antonio Stars, who relocated and became the Las Vegas Aces. The early years brought an adjustment to the league and pressure to live up to the top pick.
At Washington, Plum became the NCAA Division I women’s all-time scoring leader. The record came over four seasons; it doesn’t capture the daily work or the weight of carrying the offense.
A torn Achilles kept her out for the 2020 WNBA season. Plum has spoken about finding a broader sense of identity during recovery. ESPN’s account places the origin of “Keep the faith” in an earlier period, so the tattoo shouldn’t be presented as a response to that injury.
Plum returned and helped the Aces win championships in 2022 and 2023. She also won Olympic gold in 3×3 basketball at Tokyo and in five-on-five at Paris 2024. Those achievements followed the period behind the forearm phrase; they don’t change the personal source she gave for it.
From Las Vegas to Los Angeles
In February 2025, Plum joined the Los Angeles Sparks in a three-team trade. The move took her from the Aces to a new organization and city. Later that year, she spoke about wanting to help the Sparks build toward winning and valuing the way the team treated its players.
In May 2026, the Associated Press reported that Plum would contribute to Prime Video’s WNBA broadcasts during the season. The work added a studio role to her playing career. Photos across different uniforms show moments from that career; they don’t reveal whether a tattoo’s meaning has changed.
What the Photos Can and Cannot Tell You
The available record gives a direct account of the forearm phrase and a separate, later comment about a tattoo Plum wants removed. It doesn’t provide a confirmed inventory of her current tattoos or identify the second design. Action photos can show where ink appears, but they may not make small lettering legible.
For text tattoos, Plum’s account shows why the words themselves matter to the person wearing them. That is one person’s experience, not a rule for every tattoo. The later regret comment is a reminder that a permanent design can stop feeling right, but it doesn’t tell us anything more about the design she meant.
The Lasting Impression
The clearest account is still two separate facts: Plum tied “Keep the faith” to encouragement from her father, and later said she was trying to remove another tattoo. Its design and placement remain unidentified.
For more of Plum talking about her basketball career and move to Los Angeles, here is her Sparks introductory press conference.