How The Rumors WNBA Star Kelsey Plum Was Dating Devin Booker Began
Las Vegas Aces star Kelsey Plum has found herself in a bit of controversy throughout her basketball career, particularly surrounding the WNBA championship that her team secured in October 2023 against the New York Liberty. She caught backlash for speaking ill about the opposing team, telling reporters [via Yahoo Sports], "They're really good individual players, but they don't care about each other." Though she apologized for this comment, a wild rumor emerged from the game, which accused her of dating NBA star Devin Booker, who happens to be the ex-boyfriend of Kendall Jenner.
Booker is a bachelor, so this would not have been an issue had Plum been a single woman. However, she has been married to New York Giants tight end Darren Waller since March 2023. The couple has kept many details of their relationship extremely private since it began in 2022. However, since Waller once played for the Las Vegas Raiders and was seen at several Aces games in 2021, the pair likely crossed paths through sports. While the pair didn't seem too bothered by the outlandish gossip about Plum and Booker, the internet seemed to run wild with it.
In a post-game photo with Plum, Waller slightly resembled Booker
After the Las Vegas Aces were declared the winner during Game 4 of the Finals in October 2023, Kelsey Plum celebrated her big win by running into the arms of her husband, Darren Waller. He embraced his emotional wife, and the two shared a sweet kiss on the sidelines. Photographers captured the two embracing, but unfortunately, what was meant to be a touching moment turned into an internet tale, because Waller slightly resembled Devin Booker from the captured angle.
An NBA fan Twitter account called @TheNBACentel shared the photo of Waller and Plum kissing with the caption, "Kelsey Plum and Devin Booker share a beautiful moment." The tweet was sent out on October 18, 2023, and it is still up today. It has since attracted 10 million views, over 40,000 likes, and over 2,600 retweets. Since the publishing of the image, a community note has been added to the tweet to inform users of Waller's true identity. However, the account, which appears to tweet frequently, has not removed the post. Some identifying factors quickly proved it was Waller and not Booker in the images. The most telling is Waller's tattoos, which are visible in the picture. Waller has body ink on his hands and neck, and Booker does not. With both Booker and Waller being six-foot-six with a similar complexion, it may have been easy for fans to assume they were the same person.
Plum has admitted that her long-distance marriage is hard at times
NFL pro-Darren Waller spent five seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders after joining the team in 2018. With his wife, Kelsey Plum, joining the Las Vegas Aces in 2018 too, their relationship was much more manageable. However, now that Waller is based in New York while playing with the Giants, Plum has admitted that the distance is sometimes taxing, but says she and Waller are making it work. "To be honest, putting faith first and answering to something higher than myself is a big way for me to be the best wife, friend, [and] teammate I could be. Just like in basketball, in life, you got to be a great teammate," Plum shared with People in December 2023. Their unconventional marriage may have also played a role in the social media banter, though neither Waller nor Plum has commented on it.
Booker has also seemingly ignored the rumors as he navigates his own highly publicized personal life. Though he appears to be single now, the Phoenix Suns star previously dated model Kendall Jenner from April 2020 to November 2022. Their split has led him into a feud with her rumored new boo, singer Bad Bunny, who allegedly took shots at Booker in a song, "Coco Chanel." Having his own bit of drama, it's unlikely we'll hear much from Booker on the viral case of mistaken identity.