Tag: Seattle Storm

Former Notre Dame guard involved in blockbuster WNBA trade

A major shakeup in the WNBA.

The writing for former Notre Dame guard [autotag]Jewell Loyd[/autotag]’s future with the Seattle Storm was on the wall for some time. The relationship between the two sides had deteriorated to the point where they no longer could work together.

Now, Loyd will have a new WNBA address for the first time.

According to an ESPN report, Loyd has been traded to the Las Vegas Aces as part of a three-team deal. The deal sends Kelsey Plum from the Aces to the Los Angeles Sparks. The three teams will swap picks in this year’s draft; the Storm end up with the second overall pick from Los Angeles.

Loyd will join fellow former Irish guard and U.S. Olympic teammate [autotag]Jackie Young[/autotag] in Sin City. She leaves behind a great legacy in Seattle. She was the first pick in the 2015 draft and lived up to that billing. She won two WNBA championships to go with being a six-time All-Star, an All-Star MVP, a three-time All-WNBA selection and the Rookie of the Year.

Aces fans hopefully will get to watch games like this:

Best of luck to Loyd in her new surroundings.

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Follow Geoffrey on X: @gfclark89

Los Angeles Sparks acquire Kelsey Plum, Las Vegas Aces nab Jewell Loyd in massive 3-team trade

This is a blockbuster of a trade!

Two-time WNBA champion Kelsey Plum is headed to the Los Angeles Sparks in a massive three-team trade that shook hoops fans on Sunday night. Also part of the deal is Jewell Loyd, — who is getting her wish after requesting a trade from the Seattle Storm — as the two-time WNBA champion in her own right is on her way to the Las Vegas Aces.

The trade is a massive one, sending Plum to the Sparks in an effort to revitalize their franchise after a last place, 8-32 season. Loyd now lands with the Aces, with the team looking to bounce back after falling to the New York Liberty in last year’s semifinals. The Storm, in return for Loyd, are picking up the No. 2 overall pick in 2025 and Li Yueru.

ESPN’s Shams Charania broke the news on Sunday.

Here are the full details of the trade for all three teams:

What a haul!

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Former Notre Dame guard Jewell Loyd requests trade from Seattle Storm

There’s trouble in the Emerald City.

After a successful career at Notre Dame, [autotag]Jewell Loyd[/autotag] was selected first overall by the Seattle Storm in the 2015 WNBA draft. She won Rookie of the Year, and her 10 seasons with the Storm also have netted two championships and six All-Star selections, one of which resulted in an All-Star MVP. She also has won two Olympic gold medals.

But Loyd’s tenure with the Storm could be nearing its end. The Chicago Sun-Times is reporting that she is requesting a trade. This comes after the conclusion of an investigation into the coaching staff’s alleged player mistreatment that turned up nothing. Loyd was at the investigation’s center after filing a complaint.

Loyd has one year left on her contract after signing a supermax extension upon the conclusion of the Storm’s 2023 season. That prompted [autotag]Skylar Diggins-Smith[/autotag], another former Irish guard, to sign with the Storm that offseason. While the Storm returned to the playoffs, they promptly were swept by [autotag]Jackie Young[/autotag]’s Las Vegas Aces.

Here’s Young scoring a season-high 34 points against Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever:

If it’s time for Young to have a fresh start elsewhere, here’s hoping her first season there is a fruitful one.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on X: @gfclark89

Are Skylar Diggins-Smith’s cryptic Instagram posts related to the Seattle Storm investigation?

What does this mean?

Seattle Storm guard Skylar Diggins-Smith has been posting cryptic Instagram messages to her stories lately. It begs the question: Are the posts related to an internal Seattle Storm investigation?

Here’s the answer: it’s unclear. But here’s what we do know.

Per Annie Costabile of the Chicago Sun-Times, Seattle’s coaching staff is under investigation for alleged player harassment and bullying related to on-court performance and incidents during practice and games.

In the days following the news of the investigation, Diggins-Smith’s Instagram activity has become a bit cryptic. Here’s what we mean. This series of messages was shared to her stories on Sunday.

Then, Diggins-Smith apparently shared and deleted a post to her stories from WNBA legend and former Storm forward Tina Thompson. However, she did leave a simple two-word comment under Thompson’s post.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DCilYhvRSYb/?igsh=OHI1bWI5dDhja2My

Again, it’s unclear if this is directly related to the investigation, but either way, the vibes in Seattle do not seem great. It is certainly worth keeping an eye on.

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Championship eludes former Notre Dame guard Kayla McBride again

Still can’t get it done.

Former Notre Dame guard [autotag]Kayla McBride[/autotag] had her best chance to win a championship yet this season. Her Minnesota Lynx had a 30-10 regular-season record and took the New York Liberty, the only team with a better record, to a winner-take-all Game 5 of the WNBA Finals.

McBride did everything she could, scoring 21 points, the second-most on the Lynx. She also grabbed five rebounds, had a team-high five assists and a game-high four steals.

It was not enough though as the Liberty won their first WNBA championship with a 67-62 overtime victory. The Lynx remain in a three-way tie for the most WNBA titles with four.

McBride is used to just coming up short by now. She made the finals with the Las Vegas Aces in 2020, but the Seattle Storm, one of the other two teams with four championships, swept that series. She went to three national title games with the Irish in the 2010s but lost every single time.

It’s a classic example of always being the bridesmaid but never the bride. Let’s hope that McBride, who turns 33 next season, can become the bride before too long.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on X: @gfclark89

Lip-readers think Skylar Diggins-Smith called Tiffany Hayes ‘weak’ after knocking her to the floor

Skylar Diggins-Smith looked like she was completely over Tiffany Hayes.

Skylar Diggins-Smith might have beef with Las Vegas Aces guard Tiffany Hayes after an on-court spat during an Aces-Storm Tuesday matchup.

In a recent matchup, a rather intense moment between Tiffany Hayes and Skylar Diggins-Smith has hoops fans talking. Late in the fourth quarter, as Las Vegas was slowly starting to pull away for the win, Hayes blocked a Seattle shot, stole the ball and took off towards the other end of the court.

Diggins-Smith tracked her down in stride but could not keep her from scoring, and she fell after contact with Hayes. Tiffany then seemingly taunted Skylar after the bucket. They continued jawing following the play, and shortly after complaining to the officiating crew, lip-readers thought Skylar said, “You’re weak, [expletive]” to Tiffany as she walked off the court.

https://twitter.com/TylerDeLuca/status/1836248712437174710

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Why Nika Muhl’s lack of playing time in Seattle hasn’t disrupted her rookie WNBA season

Here’s why Nika Muhl isn’t in any rush to play more during her rookie season.

Nika Muhl knows her rookie season hasn’t turned out how fans hoped it would. But she says that’s okay.

On September 1, when the Seattle Storm were in a tight six-point battle with the Connecticut Sun during the fourth quarter, chants of “Nika! Nika!” rang out in Mohegan Sun area. But with just under four minutes to play and such high stakes, Muhl wouldn’t see the floor.

However, that moment did reflect a frustrated fan base — full of Storm and UConn supporters — who wanted to see more of the rookie who was drafted No. 14 overall. (Muhl is only averaging 2.6 minutes of action this season.) Per Maggie Vanoni of CT Insider, the former Husky is not rushing to play more. Here’s what she shared with Vanoni:

“Our coach reminds us every day, ‘You’re one of 144,'” Mühl said. “That’s not a lot of spots for the amount of talent and the amount of hardworking women that are in this league and not in this league at this moment.”

“So, just reminding myself every morning, when I wake up — that even though I don’t get many minutes, it’s still a huge blessing to be a part of this program, especially being a part of Seattle Storm.”

“Everybody looks at not playing as something so horrible and so bad, but behind the scenes, I’m working my butt off.” Mühl said. “I’m learning so much, watching film all the time, learning from the best players in the world, amazing coaches. I’m not missing anything. I’m just enjoying the process. And this is my journey, and that’s how it’s supposed to be.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/C_gk9pPPBtY/?igsh=MWZvZ2RxdXEzN3J6OA==

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Former Lady Vols’ WNBA results for Sept. 1

Former Lady Vols’ WNBA statistics for Sept. 1.

Six former Lady Vols competed in the WNBA on Sunday.

Connecticut defeated Seattle, 93-86, at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.

Jordan Horston totaled four points, two rebounds and one assists in 13 minutes for the Storm. She converted 2-of-3 field goal attempts.

Mercedes Russell recorded two points, three rebounds, and one block in 11 minutes for Seattle. She converted 1-of-2 field goal attempts.

Minnesota defeated Chicago, 79-74, at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Diamond DeShields totaled six points, two rebounds and one block in 13 minutes for the Sky. Isabelle Harrison also played four minutes for Chicago and committed one turnover.

Atlanta defeated Los Angeles, 80-62, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California.

Rickea Jackson started at forward and played 35 minutes for the Sparks. She recorded 13 points, four rebounds, three assists and one steal.

Rae Burrell totaled five points, three rebounds and two steals for Los Angeles.

Seahawks QB Geno Smith spotted at Storm game

Seahawks QB Geno Smith spotted at Storm game

If there’s one thing that’s incredible about Seattle sports, it is the fact all the teams and their athletes always seem to support one another. There is no shortage of cross-city love and support from among Seattle’s professional players.

In the latest example, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith was spotted at the Seattle Storm’s game on Friday. The Storm were hosting the New York Liberty.

https://twitter.com/circlingsports/status/1829723983257985116?s=46&t=_ANhSRjgXiq1Q7vs6QH6CA

Unfortunately, Seattle could not defend home court against New York, as the Storm fell 98-85 to the visiting Liberty. Former Storm star, Breanna Stewart, returned to the Emerald City to face her former team. Stewart was the leading scorer for both teams with 32 points.

With the Seahawks kicking off against the Denver Broncos next Sunday, one can’t help but wonder with other Seattle team members will show up to support them. Two years ago, several Mariners were present at Monday Night Football.

Of course, the biggest question will be who will raise the iconic 12th Man Flag? All these questions will certainly be answered in the coming days!

More Seahawks Wire stories

Seahawks officially set their 53-man roster

Updated Seahawks win/loss record by uniform headed into 2024

Remembering Geno Smith’s iconic line vs. the Broncos

Kenneth Walker III in store for a big game against Denver 

Former Lady Vols’ WNBA results for Aug. 26

A look at how former Lady Vols performed in the WNBA on Monday.

Two former Lady Vols competed in the WNBA on Monday.

Washington defeated Seattle, 74-72, at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington.

Jordan Horston started at forward and played 19 minutes for the Storm. She totaled six points, two rebounds and two blocks.

Horston, a member of the 2023 WNBA All-Rookie Team, converted 2-of-4 field goal attempts and 2-of-2 free throw attempts.

Mercedes Russell recorded eight points, one rebound, one assist and one steal in 17 minutes for Seattle.

She converted 4-of-7 field goal attempts.

Russell played for the Lady Vols from 2013-18 for head coach Holly Warlick.

She was selected by New York (No. 22 overall) in the 2018 WNBA draft.