Plum joins Rich Kleiman and Jack Howard for the debut episode of Mental Wealth to discuss her journey to women’s basketball’s million-dollar era and why true wealth goes beyond money.
For Kelsey Plum, wealth was never just about the number on a contract. It’s a mindset, one shaped by her upbringing, sharpened overseas, and tested through injury, risk, and a new leadership role. That idea sat at the center of the first episode of Mental Wealth, a new series from Boardroom and Ally Bank recorded live in Chicago during one of the biggest moments on the women’s sports calendar.
Hosted by Boardroom CEO Rich Kleiman alongside Ally’s Head of Money Wellness, Jack Howard, the conversation moved well past X’s and O’s. Over the course of the episode, Plum peeled back the layers on what it actually means to build a life — and a legacy — around basketball, and how she’s learned to make peace with money along the way.
Howard opened by asking Plum to define the term for herself, and then to trace it back to childhood. Plum’s answer wasn’t about spreadsheets or savings accounts. It was driving her countless miles to hoops tournaments and keeping the fridge stocked for whoever showed up at the door.
“I’m so fortunate to grow up in a family that really preached generosity,” Plum said. “And I think that’s kind of what I try to look at money through a lens of.” She described a household with two parents, a full fridge, and an open-door policy for guests — an environment that, she said, taught her that generosity is about more than money. “It’s your time, it’s your spirit, it’s your energy.”
In this setting, she developed what she named a “delusional confidence” that dates back to age 10, when she watched Diana Taurasi on TV and walked straight into the kitchen to tell her mother — not ask her — that she was going to play professionally one day. Her mother’s response has stuck with her ever since: “OK, let me know whatever I can do to help you.”
That foundation, she said, still shapes how she thinks about her career and her investments today, with an eye toward how her decisions ripple out to her family, to women, and to the next generation of players.
The conversation didn’t shy away from how the game has evolved since Plum was the first draft pick in 2018. She was forced to supplement early salary with offseasons overseas, playing for Fenerbahçe in Turkey. There she further harnessed her grit when the club threatened to cut her midseason. “I just started chipping away and chipping away,” she said. “And then by the end of the season, I got where I needed to be as a player.”
Fast-forward to today’s landscape, Plum is now operating in what she called the league’s “million-dollar era” — a phrase that still catches people off guard when they meet her. “People kind of look at you different,” she said. Still, she’s clear-eyed about what the moment represents: “I’m proud to be in that transition, seeing where it’s been and then where it’s going.”
Despite the numbers, Plum was emphatic that finances were never her motivation. “I’ve never done it for the money,” she said. “My motivation has always been one, to be the best basketball player I could possibly be. Two, to impact people, particularly young people… making it very abundantly clear that you can do it.”
That mindset, she said, has helped her ride the highs and lows that come with any career, athletic or otherwise. “You can ride the highs and lows of money,” she said, “but if you play, it’s pretty steady. Ultimately you double down on your craft and how good you can be, and you chase that. The money is really just a byproduct.”
Closing out the conversation, Howard asked Plum to define the show’s central idea in her own words. Her answer doubled as a mission statement for the entire series: “Mental wealth to me means serenity,” she said. “It would mean that you’re not making decisions purely based on money; you’re making decisions on your peace.”
“Mic drop,” Kleiman punctuated.
Ally Bank, Member FDIC
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