Tag: Seattle Storm

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.

Skylar Diggins-Smith revealed why she struggled with anxiety before joining the Seattle Storm

“Are they gonna think I’m weird?”

Skylar Diggins-Smith sent shockwaves through hoops circles when she joined the Seattle Storm during the offseason. However, the veteran guard recently revealed that despite knowing Seattle was at the top of her list, she had anxiety about joining the team.

In a move heard around the league, Diggins-Smith linked up with the Seattle Storm in February after a somewhat tumultuous tenure with the Phoenix Mercury. During her introductory press conference, she shared why she moved on from the Mercury to sign with the Storm.

She ultimately wanted to play with Jewell Loyd and Nneka Ogwumike and, among other things, experience Seattle’s culture. But Skylar says that even with all of that excitement, she had social anxiety. Here’s what she recently told ESPN’s LaChina Robinson during WNBA Off Day about her move to Seattle and understanding her mental health journey (See the clip below and the 10:44 mark of the YouTube video):

“I was like, ‘Man, am I going to be able to fit in socially with this team? Am I going to sound like somebody’s mom — you know, because I’m a stay-at-home mom?…'”

“To come back after 21 months of being a stay-at-home mom — ‘Can I adapt to this environment again? Are they gonna think I’m weird?'”

“I think just being real with myself about how I feel and how things make me feel…I think I’ve always struggled with anxiety. I just think I didn’t know what that was until I talked to somebody about how I was feeling, and like, ‘Oh, that’s anxiety!’ I thought that was just Sky…and it’s like you’re not the only person feeling this way. But sometimes you hesitate to share it.”

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Former Lady Vols’ WNBA results for Aug. 20

A look at how former Lady Vol players performed in the WNBA on Tuesday.

Four former Lady Vols competed in the WNBA on Tuesday.

Connecticut defeated Los Angeles, 69-61, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.

Rickea Jackson started at forward and played 34 minutes for the Sparks. She totaled 14 points, six rebounds, one assist and one block.

Jackson converted 5-of-13 field goal attempts and 4-of-4 free throw attempts.

Rae Burrell recorded four rebounds and two steals for Los Angeles.

Seattle defeated Washington, 83-77, at Entertainment and Sports Arena in Washington, D.C.

Jordan Horston started at forward and played 26 minutes for the Storm. She recorded three points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block.

Mercedes Russell totaled three rebounds in seven minutes for Seattle.

Video recounts Skylar Diggins-Smith tumultuous Phoenix Mercury tenure

Skylar is Skylar.

Notre Dame legend [autotag]Skylar Diggins-Smith[/autotag] has developed both a good and bad reputation in the WNBA. Though she’s built a Hall of Fame resume, she also gets into sticky situations. Most recently, she decided to bump Caitlin Clark during a play stoppage in a game.

Secret Base, one of the best sports channels on YouTube, decided to take a look at Diggins-Smith’s four-year tenure with the Phoenix Mercury that often was filled with tension. While the title of the video says her beef was with the legendary Diana Taurasi, the video itself really is more about Diggins-Smith and her beef with the Mercury as a whole:

During the three seasons Diggins-Smith actually played for the Mercury, she made All-WNBA each year, was a two-time All-Star, and she averaged 18.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 5.1 assists a game. Former Irish standout [autotag]Brianna Turner[/autotag] was with her each season.

Despite the seemingly ideal circumstances, Diggins-Smith clearly was not happy with the Mercury, and the feeling appeared to be mutual. So she signed with the Seattle Storm this past offseason, joining fellow Irish legend [autotag]Jewell Loyd[/autotag].

It’s clear Diggins-Smith’s demeanor will not change. Hopefully, that doesn’t cloud her legacy.

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

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

What Gabby Williams’ return to the WNBA means for the Seattle Storm

Here’s how adding Gabby Williams changes things for the Seattle Storm.

Gabby Williams is back as if she never left the WNBA, and she re-signed with her old franchise, the Seattle Storm.

Since Williams and Team France nearly unraveled Team USA during the 2024 Paris Olympics, hoops fans have been clamoring for her to return. However, many basketball pundits believed Gabby might continue her overseas career instead of returning to her old stomping grounds. (Salary was previously a concern.)

Nevertheless, several teams cleared roster space to acquire her potentially. Ultimately, it paid off for the Storm, and she chose Noelle Quinn, Jewell Loyd and a familiar system that would allow her to thrive.

With the signing, fans might have a few lingering questions. We’ve got you covered. Here’s what you need to know:

How could Gabby Williams sign with a WNBA team after missing the first half of the season?

Per Roberta Rodrigues of Beta Basket, Gabby wasn’t subject to the WNBA’s prioritization clause (which requires players to prioritize the WNBA over international leagues) because she was an unrestricted free agent when training camps started in April and didn’t sign with any team.

This means that Gabby didn’t skip camp or miss any required team activities, instead opting to remain a free agent to complete Olympics prep with France.

What kind of contract did the Seattle Storm give Gabby Williams?

The Storm signed Gabby to a contract for the rest of the 2024 season. Per Richard Cohen of Her Hoops Stats, Gabby’s contract is prorated at $23,491 and fits within the team’s remaining allotted cap space ($24,195).

What does Gabby Williams bring to the Seattle Storm this late in the WNBA season?

Gabby is a two-way threat who could be immediately inserted into the Storm’s lineup or stashed on the bench to be the ultimate closer. Her high motor on both ends of the floor is something Seattle could use to its advantage, and it recently earned her All-Star Five and Best Defensive Player honors during the Olympics.

During France’s six-game silver medal run, Gabby averaged 15.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.8 assists and a blistering 2.8 steals. She also scored 19 points against Team USA during the gold medal game, including five points (and one gnarly buzzer-beating shot that nearly sent the game to overtime) as time was winding down.

During her previous tenure with the Storm in 2022, she started 36 games, averaging 7.5 points, five rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.5 steals per contest. She was also on the WNBA’s All-Defensive Second Team.

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