Kelsey Plum says Darren Waller’s trade to Giants was ‘brutal’



Kelsey Plum and Darren Waller’s time as newlyweds wasn’t exactly a walk in the park.

The Las Vegas Aces guard and the NFL tight end, who tied the knot on March 4, learned that Raiders traded Waller to the Giants just 12 hours after they returned home following their honeymoon in Amanyara in Turks & Caicos.

Plum recalled the heart-wrenching moment during an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” Monday, which came a few hours before the Aces’ championship parade.

“It is wild,” Plum said of learning about the trade. “It’s brutal. It’s like ripping your heart out.”

The All-Star guard — who secured her second title when the Aces beat the Liberty in Game 4 of the WNBA Finals on Oct. 18 — explained that the couple relied on their faith to get through the change.

“God really just — it’s the only way we kinda got through it with our faith,” Plum said. “He’s a solider. Darren is a solider.

Kelsey Plum on “The Pat McAfee Show” on October 22, 2023.
X/Pat McAfee

“I’m grateful to be able to go out there and spend some time with him, because we really haven’t had much time together.

“But, that’s just the way the cookie crumbles. Sports is a business at the end of the day.

“It’s Cadillac problem, so we’re going to make it work.”

New York Giants tight end Darren Waller celebrates after Leonard Williams #99 blocked a field goal during the game against the Washington Commanders at MetLife Stadium on October 22, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
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Las Vegas Aces guard Kelsey Plum and NFL tight end Darren Waller attend the inaugural IX Awards at Allegiant Stadium on June 17, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Plum and Waller’s nuptials took place in Las Vegas, where the couple had lived while playing for their respective teams.

The WNBA champ was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 draft by the San Antonio Stars, who relocated to Las Vegas and were renamed the Aces in 2018.

The Pro Bowl tight end was with the Raiders from 2018 until March 14, when they traded him to the Giants.

Las Vegas Aces guard Kelsey Plum and husband Darren Waller kiss after the Aces beat the New York Liberty in Game 4 of the 2023 WNBA Finals at Barclays Center on October 18, 2023 in New York City.
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Las Vegas Aces guard Kelsey Plum in her postgame press conference after defeating the New York Liberty during Game 4 of the 2023 WNBA Finals at Barclays Center on October 18, 2023 in New York City.
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In a separate interview with The Post, Waller remembered getting the call about the trade.

“I got that call like 12 hours after we landed back,” Waller said. “So, it’s not how anybody would really want to start being married. 

“But if you ever find yourself trying to resist change, it’s never going to be a good thing.”

New York Giants tight end Darren Waller scores a touchdown during the game against the Washington Commanders at MetLife Stadium on October 22, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
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Waller went on to explain that the distance has helped their relationship mature in different ways.

“[The distance] has forced us to grow in areas [such as] communication and just being mindful of each other’s days and routines and how each of us is doing amidst all the business — and I feel like we’ve done really well in handling that,” Waller said. 

“Every opportunity that I get to be able to be where she’s at, I take advantage of those and I’m excited to just be around her. If it’s not that, then it’s us FaceTiming pretty much every night, and that’s about all we got to work with at the moment.”

Waller and Plum, who reportedly starting dating last year, had not publicly shared their plans to get married.

The tight end attended Game 4 of the WNBA Finals at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, where he shared a kiss with Plum after the Aces beat the Liberty, 70-69.

Now that Plum’s WNBA season is over, she’s looking forward to seeing Waller in action.

The Giants and the Jets play at MetLife Stadium on Oct. 29.



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