UW Athletics Announces Kelsey Plum Jersey Retirement & Forever 10 Celebration
In a celebration of legacy, achievement, and undeniable impact, the University of Washington Department of Athletics has announced plans to retire the iconic #10 jersey of Husky women’s basketball legend Kelsey Plum during a ceremony scheduled for January 18, 2025, inside Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion.
Plum becomes the first women’s basketball player in UW history to have a jersey retired and the sixth Husky to hang from the rafters overall (Bob Houbregs – MBB, Brandon Roy – MBB, Isaiah Thomas – MBB, Courtney Thompson – VB, Krista Vansant – VB).
“I’m forever proud to be a Husky and UW is a special place that fundamentally shaped me both as a basketball player and as a person,” Plum said. “It means the world to me to receive this honor and to celebrate it with my family, friends and alumni. It will be a great feeling to look up at the rafters and see my jersey alongside those that I’ve admired for so long.”
UW will launch its Forever 10 celebration
In honor of Kelsey’s profound impact on Husky Athletics and women’s basketball – during Saturday’s (Nov. 2) Homecoming football game. Plum will be in attendance and recognized during a special moment between the first and second quarter at the Greatest Setting in College Football.
Fans are encouraged to stay in their seats and help welcome Kelsey home to Montlake.
“Kelsey is one of the great basketball players of all time, and she’s a UW legend,” said Washington Director of Athletics Pat Chun. “An Olympic gold medalist and WNBA champion, Kelsey has inspired fans worldwide and countless young basketball players and student-athletes.
We’re so fortunate to have Kelsey in the Husky family and honored to celebrate her as one of the greatest to wear the Purple and Gold. We look forward to January and raising that banner with her name on it to the rafters where it belongs.”
Unmatched Legacy
At Washington (2013-17), Plum became the all-time NCAA scoring leader (3,527 points – stood until 2024) and broke the 33-year-old NCAA career free throw record (912). She broke the single-season NCAA scoring record with 1,109 points in 2016-17 (stood until end of 2023-24 season).
Plum became UW’s all-time three-point leader, the Pac-12’s all-time single-season scoring leader, and set the Pac-12 single-game scoring record (57) in an instantly legendary game where she broke Jackie Stiles’s all-time career points record.
In 2017, Plum was named the AP’s, espnW’s, and Pac-12’s Player of the Year, WBCA and USWBA All-America (also in 2016), and Seattle Sports Star of the Year. She was also unanimous AP First-Team All-America, espnW First-Team All-America, and All-Pac-12 selection. In 2017, Plum won the Dawn Staley, Ann Meyers Drysdale, and Nancy Lieberman Awards, and the Wade and Naismith Trophies.
In 2016, when she led the 7th-seeded Huskies on an historic run to the program’s first ever NCAA Final Four, Plum was named Wooden Award All-American and Naismith Award Semifinalist. Plum was a four-time All-Pac-12 Team honoree, and in 2014 was named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year.
Plum was the No. 1 pick in the 2017 WNBA Draft, the first No. 1 overall pick in Washington basketball history, shortly before Husky Markelle Fultz was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. She was just the fourth Pac-12 player to be selected No. 1. In 2021.
Plum was named the WNBA’s Sixth Woman of the Year.
Her incredible 2022 season included a starting spot in the WNBA All-Star Game then scoring a WNBA All-Star record 30 points, earning All-Star MVP. Plum capped off the 2022 season being named to the All-WNBA First Team, and ultimately, became an WNBA Champion when the Las Vegas Aces won. Plum earned a second-consecutive WNBA Championship title in 2023 with the Aces.
Internationally on Team USA, Plum won historic gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in 3×3 Basketball. She was also a member of the 2022 USA Women’s National Team that captured its 11th FIBA World Cup gold medal in Sydney. Most recently, Plum won gold with Team USA Basketball at the 2024 Paris Olympics, helping the USA women secure their eighth straight – and 10th overall – Olympic gold medal.
The Ceremony
Plum’s jersey retirement ceremony will take place on January 18, 2025 as part of UW Women’s Basketball’s Big Ten Conference matchup with Purdue inside Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion. The event brings the Husky community together to celebrate the legacy of a champion.
With the slogan Her Legacy, Our Pride: Forever 10 at the forefront, Washington honors an athlete and leader who has defined greatness and inspired future Huskies to pursue excellence in every aspect of their lives. Fans can purchase tickets to the game against the Boilermakers here.
Forever 10
The Forever 10 campaign honors the exceptional journey of Kelsey Plum, whose impact extends far beyond the University of Washington. From becoming the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer to leading the Huskies to national prominence, her #10 jersey symbolizes greatness.
Kelsey’s legacy didn’t stop after UW — she has gone on to become a two-time WNBA champion, two-time Olympic gold medalist, and one of the most decorated athletes in women’s basketball. The pride felt by her teammates, coaches, and fans reflects her influence both on and off the court, making her #10 a symbol of excellence that will inspire future student-athletes at the University of Washington.
This jersey retirement celebrates a career that continues to shine, immortalizing her achievements as part of Husky history forever – Forever 10.
Fans can follow along at www.Forever-10.com and on Washington Athletics social accounts as the countdown to January 18, 2025 comes to life.
About Washington Athletics
Washington athletic teams have claimed 56 team national championships across 11 different sports, beginning with its first titles in 1923 in men’s rowing and women’s rifle, and counting its most recent national championship, also in men’s rowing (2024).
Traditions of Washington Athletics include 320 Olympians and Paralympians, originating The Wave during the third quarter of a 1981 football game, the familiar Huskies nickname in 1922, and its iconic Sailgating activities and encompassing view at what is known as The Greatest Setting in college football.
