Kelsey Plum 'Too Small' celebration, explained: Why Sparks guard taunted Sky star Angel Reese's height

David Suggs

Kelsey Plum 'Too Small' celebration, explained: Why Sparks guard taunted Sky star Angel Reese's height image

Two of the WNBA's most talked about talents jousted with one another on Sunday night.

The Sky and Sparks dueled beneath the glint Crypto.com Arena lights. The matchup was spotlighted by two players who made headlines more times than most during the 2025 offseason: Angel Reese and Kelsey Plum.

Reese and Plum are two of the league's most popular players. They've both endured uneven starts thus far; Chicago sits at 0-3, while Los Angeles is just 2-3.

Despite their teams' toils, Reese and Plum remain on the forefront of W enthusiasts' minds. So, when the duo clashed on Sunday, sparks flew — both on the floor and on social media, too.

📲 Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp

Here's what you need to know about the after-basket interaction between Reese and Plum that had the hoops world talking.

Kelsey Plum 'Too Small' celebration on Angel Reese, explained

Plum capped off a smooth left-hand drive with a flourish, dropping a feathery effort off the glass and into the basket two minutes into the Sparks' duel with the Sky.

The moment was marked by subtlety. Plum collected the orb on a dribble hand-off from Azura Stevens, whose subsequent screen left Plum on an island with Reese.

Plum slipped past Reese with relative ease, displacing the Chicago standout with a hesitation move before getting to the cup.

Given the nature of Plum's basket, as well as Reese's reputation as a lockdown defender, it's understandable why the Los Angeles guard was so excited.

MORE: Fact-checking fake YouTube videos claiming Angel Reese has been "suspended"

She opted to celebrate her finish with a curious move, however, flashing the "too small" symbol — marked by a player bringing their hand as close to the floor as possible — to assert that Reese couldn't guard her.

Plum's use of the gesture is compelling for multiple reasons. For one, Reese towers over her, standing seven inches taller than her Tinseltown adversary.

Further, Plum didn't really impose herself physically on Reese while canning her basket. Typically, the celebration is employed when a player exercises serious force upon an opposition defender.

Plum's celebration might take some for a loop. The easiest explanation for it is she was hyped to put down an aesthetically-pleasing score against one of the WNBA's more impressive defenders.

In that context, anything — including a "Too Small" motion against a player seven inches taller than you — goes.

David Suggs

David Suggs is a content producer at The Sporting News. A long-suffering Everton, Wizards and Commanders fan, he has learned to get used to losing over the years. In his free time, he enjoys skateboarding (poorly), listening to the likes of Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and D’Angelo, and penning short journal entries.