Las Vegas Aces’ shooting star Kelsey Plum has officially traded basketballs for burning rubber—or at least temporarily. The 30-year-old WNBA standout recently unleashed her inner speed demon during the Las Vegas Grand Prix, gripping the wheel (or maybe the armrest) of a $237,500 McLaren Artura supercar. And let’s just say, she didn’t exactly keep her cool as the car rocketed around the track.
Plum, on a well-deserved WNBA break after the Aces’ post-semifinals crash-out, took to Instagram to share her wild ride, all thanks to her sponsorship with Google Pixel. Her post, oozing both gratitude and adrenaline, read:
“#Sponsored @teampixel really hooked it up with the @mclaren Hot Lap at the F1 Las Vegas GP! What an experience! 😝 #TeamPixel”
The experience paired Plum with Indy 500 driver Pato O’Ward—because apparently, when you want a taste of chaos, you do it with a pro. Initially hyped, the Aces star soon realized there’s a fine line between excitement and sheer terror as the McLaren hit 100 MPH. Cue the screaming.
“Oh my gosh, you guys,” she later recounted in a video, looking both exhilarated and mildly traumatized. “We were this close to the side. And he’s like, ‘Do you love it?’ I’m like, ‘I love it,’ but really, I was just trying to survive!”
Spoiler alert: she did. But not before leaving some lungs on the track.
The McLaren Artura: A Hot Lap Star in Its Own Right
Plum’s chariot of chaos was none other than the McLaren Artura, a 2023 marvel that costs more than some people’s houses. Packed with a hybrid powertrain and a fresh 19-horsepower boost in the 2025 model, this bad boy isn’t just fast; it’s a scream-inducing blur on wheels. Plum can attest to that.
But this isn’t just about cars and courage. It’s about Kelsey Plum proving that whether she’s breaking ankles on the court or breaking speed records on a racetrack, she’s all about that action.
Cigars, Courts, and Full Circle Moments
When she’s not screaming her heart out in a McLaren, Plum is busy building her empire. Earlier this year, she launched her own line of cigars, the “Kelsey Plum Signature Toro,” because, obviously, basketball and boutique cigars go hand in hand. And just this week, she announced a milestone that’s as cool as it is surprising: her cigars are now being sold at the Resorts World Hilton Hotel lounge.
In a sentimental Instagram post, Plum reflected on the journey:
“If you’d told me a couple years ago when I smoked my first cigar in this same lounge that I’d be selling my own here, I would have laughed. Life changes fast… Won’t HE do it.”
From basketball MVP to speed junkie to cigar mogul, Plum is redefining what it means to be a WNBA star. Who needs downtime when you can multitask like this?
So, the next time someone asks what athletes do in the off-season, point them to Kelsey Plum. Whether she’s conquering high-speed circuits or making high-end cigars, one thing’s clear: she’s got the drive—in every sense of the word.
