Kelsey Plum and Darren Waller: All About the Athletes' Relationship (2024)

Darren Waller and Kelsey Plum are going their separate ways after one year of marriage.

The couple tied the knot on March 4, 2023, and filed for divorce in April 2024.

Waller and Plum kept their relationship private and never publicly confirmed how they met or when their romance began. They have known each other since at least 2021, as Waller was photographed attending Plum’s Las Vegas Aces games.

Following their split, Waller released a song titled "Who Knew (Her Perspective)," which fans believe is about Plum.

"The song is an attempt to see things from the woman’s perspective, the video is an extension of that, ending with me being alone and wondering why they wounded me and left me there," the NFL player told TMZ Sports.

From their individual careers to details about their wedding, here's everything to know about Kelsey Plum and Darren Waller's relationship.

Plum's athletic skills run in the family

Plum’s athletic talent comes from her mother, Katie, who played college volleyball at the University of California, Davis, and her father, Jim, who was a basketball player and an All-American football player at San Diego State University. Additionally, her two older sisters are accomplished volleyball players, while her brother was a tight end for UC Davis.

Plum began her basketball career in high school, where she posted nearly 20 points per game. She later committed to the University of Washington, where she was named captain of her team. As of 2023, Plum holds the most career points for a woman at the college level. She also was a member of Team USA’s U19 Team, which won a gold medal at the Pan American Games.

She went on to become the first overall pick for the 2017 WNBA Draft, where she joined the San Antonio Stars (which later relocated and became the Las Vegas Aces in 2018). Plum won a gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics for the Women’s 3x3 tournament.

She was able to average over 20 points a game, was named MVP during her first WNBA All-Star appearance, and helped her team win the championship in 2022.

Waller made football history

Waller played football at Georgia Tech as a wide receiver before entering the 2015 NFL Draft, where he was drafted to the Baltimore Ravens during the sixth round. In November 2018, he was signed by the Oakland Raiders, which later moved and renamed themselves the Las Vegas Raiders.

During Week 13 in 2020, he established a Raiders franchise record for a tight end, where he had 13 receptions for 200 receiving yards and also managed to score two touchdowns.

Later that year, he was named to the Pro Bowl for the very first time, before he was ranked 35th by fellow NFL players for the NFL Top 100 Players of 2021 list. In September 2022, he became the highest-paid tight end in the NFL when he signed a three-year $51 million contract extension with the Raiders.

He was later traded to the New York Giants in March 2023.

Plum and Waller dated privately while in the public eye

Although Waller and Plum never confirmed their romantic relationship until they wed, they did spend time together in public settings in 2022. Besides basketball games, Waller and Plum attended an All Elite Wrestling match in May 2022, which might have been their first official public outing as a couple.

In June 2022, Waller was Plum's guest for an event celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Title IX event put on by her WNBA team. The following month, they went to the inaugural IX Awards at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. They were captured on the red carpet together, making their first official debut.

Plum and the Aces won the 2022 WNBA title that summer, and Waller attended their hometown victory parade celebration, where he was spotted filming a video of Plum as she gave a speech. Their most recent outing before the wedding was in October 2022, when they enjoyed a San Diego Padres game together.

Plum and Waller's wedding date was leaked

News of their confirmed relationship and wedding came in the form of a leak.

Las Vegas Raiders Head Coach Josh McDaniels, who was coaching Waller at the time, apparently didn’t realize that their relationship and nuptials were under wraps. He revealed that they were an item and that there was a wedding taking place along with the date and city during a press conference at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Three days later, Plum and Waller tied the knot, saying "I do” on March 4, 2023, at GreenGale Farms in Las Vegas.

“It was something I wanted to keep ultimately, completely private from the team," Waller told AP’s Pro Football podcast. He later shared details behind the engagement, which were also not public knowledge.

“We were in San Diego, and we went to Torrey Pines [State Natural Preserve Park] and there’s this hike to where the beach is,” he revealed on the podcast.“We went up on this rock where it’s out on the water and I had a photographer there. That’s what I had planned for it.”

Waller was traded right after the couple's honeymoon

Less than a day after returning from their honeymoon, McDaniels traded him to the New York Giants. Waller admitted at the first Giants press conference that the trade “caught [him] off guard,” but that he knows it is “the nature of the business."

"I did not see this coming," he said. "I was getting ready to just do everything I could to make myself available for the Raiders and get ready for everything that was going to start in mid-April."

At the same time, Plum responded to a tweet about how Josh McDaniels' “wedding present was to trade [Waller] to the New York Giants. McDaniels is NOT a romantic.” She replied to the tweet, “Prolly [sic] cause he wasn’t invited to the wedding lol.”

Waller and Plum had a long-distance marriage

With Waller based in New York City and Plum in Las Vegas, the couple had to adjust to a long-distance marriage while they were wed.

"She supports me and wants to see me shine to my ultimate potential as a player while I still have the opportunity, so I'm grateful to have her support," Waller told reporters during a Giants press conference. "And we're going to do whatever it takes to remain strong together."

He added, "I'm grateful to have somebody that understands how things work in an industry like this, and we just go forward and make the best of it what we can."

In December 2023, Plum told PEOPLE that she was excited to “reset” and focus on “connecting” with her husband over the holidays.

"It's not ideal to have the person that you love the most not with you on a daily basis, but we make it work," Waller said to PEOPLE a few months prior.

Waller and Plum filed for divorce in April 2024

According to court documents obtained by PEOPLE, Waller and Plum filed a joint petition for divorce in Clark County, Nevada, on April 23, 2024, just weeks after celebrating their first wedding anniversary.

After news of their split broke, Plum said she was "devastated" in a post on her Instagram Stories.

"I walked through fire for that man, but now I see it's time to go. God has given me an incredible life, and I'm truly so grateful for the profound love from my family and friends," she wrote.

"One day I'll share my story, today is not that day," she continued. "Thank you for the grace to process my pain, to forgive and move forward. Today and everyday I will continue to choose joy. Much love KP."

Waller released a song about Plum

In May 2024, Waller, who has dabbled in music for years, released "Who Knew (Her Perspective)." Many believe the song, which talks about "healing" from relationships gone bad, is about Plum.

"I’ve struggled with intimacy in romantic relationships my whole life, and I recognize the toll it has taken on the lovers I’ve been close to," Waller told TMZ Sports. "Essentially, I’m telling myself, from the damage I’ve done, that it’s imperative for me to heal the wounds in my life I’ve been avoiding by seeking relationships."