Darren Waller’s wife was Kelsey Plum, one of the biggest stars in women’s basketball and a former No. 1 overall WNBA Draft pick. The NFL tight end and Las Vegas Aces star had a relationship that stayed mostly away from the spotlight before their surprise wedding in 2023.
Waller and Plum were both major sports names in Las Vegas, but they managed to keep many details of their romance private. Their marriage, however, lasted only a little over a year. The pair filed for divorce in April 2024, shortly after celebrating their first wedding anniversary.
Their relationship attracted plenty of attention because Waller and Plum were successful professional athletes in their own right. They also had an unusual start to married life, with Waller playing in New York after being traded from the Las Vegas Raiders while Plum continued her WNBA career in Las Vegas.
Here is everything to know about Darren Waller’s wife, his relationship with Kelsey Plum, their private wedding, long-distance marriage and eventual divorce.
Who was Darren Waller’s wife?
Darren Waller’s wife was Kelsey Plum, a professional basketball player who became one of the most recognizable stars in the WNBA.
Plum grew up in a sports family. Her mother, Katie, played college volleyball at the University of California, Davis, while her father, Jim, was a basketball player and All-American football player at San Diego State University. Her sisters also played volleyball, and her brother played tight end at UC Davis.
Basketball quickly became Plum’s own path.
She starred at La Jolla Country Day School in California before attending the University of Washington. During her college career, Plum became one of the most productive scorers in women’s college basketball and established herself as a major national star.
Her success continued at the professional level. Plum was selected first overall in the 2017 WNBA Draft by the San Antonio Stars, a franchise that later became the Las Vegas Aces.
She eventually became a WNBA champion with the Aces and also won an Olympic gold medal with Team USA in women’s 3×3 basketball at the Tokyo Olympics.
So, when she married Waller, she was not simply known as an NFL player’s wife. Plum already had a major career and identity of her own.
How did Darren Waller and Kelsey Plum meet?
Waller and Plum kept the beginning of their relationship very private.
They never publicly explained exactly how they met or gave fans a detailed timeline of when their romance started. However, they had known each other since at least 2021, when Waller was photographed attending Plum’s Las Vegas Aces games.
Their relationship became more noticeable during 2022.
The couple was seen together at several events around Las Vegas, although they did not immediately make a formal announcement that they were dating.
One of their early public appearances came at an All Elite Wrestling event in May 2022. Waller also attended a Title IX celebration hosted by the Aces in June of that year.
In July 2022, the two appeared together at the inaugural IX Awards at Allegiant Stadium. Their appearance on the red carpet gave fans a much clearer indication that they were more than just friends.
Waller was also there when Plum and the Aces celebrated their 2022 WNBA championship. He was seen supporting her during the team’s victory parade.
Later that year, the pair attended a San Diego Padres game together.
Despite these appearances, they continued to keep many personal details to themselves.
Darren Waller and Kelsey Plum’s surprise wedding
The couple’s wedding came as a surprise to many fans.
Waller and Plum got married on March 4, 2023, at GreenGale Farms in Las Vegas.
The news of their relationship and upcoming wedding actually became public in an unusual way. Their romance had been kept private, and Waller had not publicly announced that he was getting married.
Then Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels revealed during a press conference at the NFL Scouting Combine that Waller was in a relationship and that a wedding was coming up in Las Vegas.
The timing made the announcement even more surprising because the wedding was only a few days away.
Waller later explained that he had wanted the wedding to remain private, especially from the team.
The couple’s engagement was also a private moment. Waller said that he proposed in San Diego during a trip to Torrey Pines. He had arranged for a photographer to be present while they were near the beach.
It was clearly something Waller had planned carefully rather than a spur-of-the-moment proposal.
Their marriage started with another big change
Waller’s wedding to Plum was quickly followed by a major change in his football career.
Only a short time after the wedding and honeymoon, Waller was traded from the Raiders to the New York Giants.
The move reportedly came less than a day after he returned from the honeymoon.
For Waller, the trade was unexpected. He had been preparing to return to the Raiders and get ready for the upcoming season before finding out that he was being sent to New York.
The trade meant that Waller and Plum would begin their marriage living in different cities.
Plum remained based in Las Vegas while Waller moved to New York for his new NFL chapter.
The situation created a long-distance marriage almost immediately.
Darren Waller and Kelsey Plum tried to make long distance work
Being married while playing professional sports in two different cities is difficult, and Waller and Plum acknowledged that reality.
Waller spoke positively about Plum’s support during his first days with the Giants. He said she understood the demands of professional sports and wanted to see him reach his potential.
That support was important because both athletes had extremely demanding schedules.
Plum had her WNBA responsibilities with the Las Vegas Aces, while Waller had NFL commitments in New York. Their seasons also overlapped, making regular time together difficult.
In December 2023, Plum spoke about wanting to reset and spend more time connecting with her husband around the holidays.
Waller had also previously acknowledged that having the person you love in another city was not ideal.
Still, the couple appeared to be making an effort to balance marriage and professional sports.
From the outside, they seemed like a strong sports power couple. But their relationship was going through challenges that the public did not fully see.
When did Darren Waller and Kelsey Plum divorce?
Darren Waller and Kelsey Plum filed for divorce on April 23, 2024.
The divorce filing came only a few weeks after their first wedding anniversary.
According to the source details, the couple filed a joint petition for divorce in Clark County, Nevada.
The split appeared to come as a shock to many fans because Waller and Plum had spent much of their marriage away from the public eye.
Plum later shared an emotional message after news of the divorce became public. She said she was devastated and reflected on the pain she had experienced.
She also indicated that she wanted time to process what had happened before sharing her complete story publicly.
That statement gave fans a glimpse into how difficult the breakup had been for her, while also making it clear that she wanted to move forward.
Did Darren Waller write a song about Kelsey Plum?
After the divorce became public, Waller released a song called “Who Knew (Her Perspective).”
Fans quickly speculated that the song was connected to his relationship with Plum.
Waller explained that the song was an attempt to look at a breakup from the woman’s perspective. The music video also reportedly ended with his character being alone and questioning why he had been hurt and left behind.
Because of the timing, listeners naturally connected the song to his divorce.
However, it is important to separate fan speculation from confirmed facts. Waller’s comments about the song gave some context about its emotional theme, but the public does not know every private detail behind the end of the marriage.
Darren Waller’s NFL career
Before becoming known for his marriage to Plum, Waller had already built an impressive NFL career.
He played college football at Georgia Tech as a wide receiver before entering the 2015 NFL Draft.
The Baltimore Ravens selected him in the sixth round.
Waller later joined the Oakland Raiders in 2018. The franchise eventually moved to Las Vegas and became the Las Vegas Raiders.
His breakthrough came with the Raiders, where he developed into one of the NFL’s most dangerous receiving tight ends.
In Week 13 of the 2020 season, Waller recorded 13 receptions for 200 yards and two touchdowns. The performance set a Raiders franchise record for a tight end.
He was selected to his first Pro Bowl later that year.
His performances also earned him recognition among his fellow NFL players. He was ranked 35th on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2021 list.
In September 2022, Waller signed a three-year contract extension worth $51 million with the Raiders, making him the highest-paid tight end in the NFL at that point.
His career later took him to the New York Giants following the 2023 trade.
Kelsey Plum built her own sports legacy
While Waller became a standout NFL tight end, Plum was creating an equally impressive career in basketball.
She was the first overall pick in the 2017 WNBA Draft and became an important player for the Las Vegas Aces.
Her scoring ability helped make her one of the league’s most recognizable players.
Plum also became an Olympic champion. She won gold with Team USA in the women’s 3×3 basketball competition at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics.
Her WNBA career reached another major milestone when she helped the Aces win the championship in 2022.
That championship was particularly meaningful because Waller was publicly supporting her during the team’s celebrations.
The couple therefore shared a unique connection as two professional athletes who understood the pressure, travel and demands of elite sports.
What is known about Darren Waller’s relationship status now?
The most important point when discussing Darren Waller’s wife is that Kelsey Plum is his former wife, not his current wife.
The two married in March 2023 and filed for divorce in April 2024.
Because both athletes are highly recognizable public figures, their relationship naturally received a lot of attention. Still, they kept many details private, and there is no need to assume that every rumor surrounding their split reflects what actually happened.
Their short marriage was a relatively small part of two much larger professional careers.
Waller continued to have his football and music interests, while Plum remained focused on her basketball career.
Darren Waller and Kelsey Plum’s relationship remains a memorable sports story
Darren Waller and Kelsey Plum’s marriage was short, but their relationship attracted attention because of who they were individually.
They were two professional athletes living in the same sports city, quietly dating before eventually getting married in a private Las Vegas ceremony.
Their wedding came with very little warning for the public. Then, almost immediately, Waller was traded across the country, forcing the newlyweds to navigate a long-distance marriage.
They tried to make the arrangement work while both continued demanding professional careers. Waller spoke about Plum’s support, and Plum discussed wanting to spend more meaningful time with her husband.
But by April 2024, the marriage had ended.
For fans searching for information about Darren Waller’s wife, Kelsey Plum is the key name to know. Their story was not simply about a famous NFL player marrying a WNBA star. It was also about two athletes trying to balance love, career pressure, distance and very public lives.
Even after their divorce, both Waller and Plum continued building their own identities outside the relationship. Their careers remain the bigger part of their stories, and both have plenty of achievements that stand on their own.