Tag: Seattle Storm

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.

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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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Caitlin Clark seemingly told the Storm to ‘stop crying’ at the end of a tense game

Caitlin Clark seemed to have some direct taunting for the Storm at the end of Sunday’s win.

During Sunday’s Indiana Fever and Seattle Storm game, things got tense between the team’s two coaches right at the end of the contest.

Fever coach Christie Sides and Storm coach Noelle Quinn had words on the sideline at the end of the fourth quarter, presumably over Indiana not pulling its starters after Seattle did as the game got out of hand for the Storm.

Well, Fever rookie guard Caitlin Clark looked to share her two cents about the ordeal as the Gainbridge Fieldhouse Jumbotron showed Clark seemingly telling the Storm to “stop crying” as a couple of their players got involved in the passionate Sides and Quinn conversation.

Clark got in trouble with a technical foul during Sunday’s win, and she’ll have to be careful about this kind of sideline taunting as she’s getting closer and closer to the amount of technical fouls that would warrant an unnecessary game suspension.

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Skylar Diggins-Smith bumps Caitlin Clark on record-setting night

She probably could have handled this better.

With the WNBA back from its Olympic break, the focus has shifted back to Indiana Fever rookie sensation Caitlin Clark. And a former Notre Dame standout has entered the latest controversy involving her.

Clark broke the WNBA rookie assists record during the Fever’s 92-75 victory over the Seattle Storm on Sunday, dishing a game-high nine. That’s not what everyone was talking about afterward. During the game, Clark pumped up the home crowd, and [autotag]Skylar Diggins-Smith[/autotag] didn’t take that very well:

It’s unfortunate Diggins-Smith has joined the list of players who have made Clark’s rookie season tougher than it needs to be. Hopefully, she can have better judgment in such situations moving forward, or she’ll continue to be the target of some people’s wrath.

Diggins-Smith led the Storm with five assists and scored 15 points in the losing effort. She was second on the team in scoring to fellow Irish legend [autotag]Jewell Loyd[/autotag], who had 26 points.

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Why Christie Sides and Noelle Quinn had a very tense courtside exchange after a Fever blowout win

At the end of a Storm-Fever matchup, things quickly got tense between Christie Sides and Noelle Quinn.

The Indiana Fever finally beat the Seattle Storm, and the matchup did not disappoint.

This was probably always going to be the case for the Fever. Seattle beat Indiana three straight times before Sunday, including twice by double digits. So, you have to think, *at some point*, Indiana would finally get its life together and fight back. It happened dramatically with a strange Caitlin Clark technical foul, a career day from Lexie Hull and an absolutely wild fourth quarter that produced a lead that the Storm couldn’t overcome.

Once Seattle’s comeback was out of reach, this seemingly could have been where Fever head coach Christie Sides pulled her starters as Storm head coach Noelle Quinn pulled hers. But Sides did not, and there was a very awkward exchange with Quinn (and even Skylar Diggins-Smith) during the end of the game.

Quinn seemingly gave Sides an earful multiple times before eventually walking away. Postgame, she downplayed the exchange, saying that she and Sides had a “spirited conversation about gamesmanship.”

Reading the room, this is probably less about Sides playing her starters (which she was fully entitled to) and more about Seattle dropping a heartbreaker to the Atlanta Dream on Friday and then having another tough loss on Sunday.

It’s certainly understandable why Quinn would feel some way about it, considering the game was already a contested battle, and her team faltered down the stretch.

Either way, the exchange amounted to a nothing burger, and both sides moved on.

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Former Lady Vols’ WNBA results for Aug. 18

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

Six former Lady Vols competed in the WNBA on Sunday.

Phoenix defeated Chicago, 86-68, at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona.

Isabelle Harrison totaled 12 points, six rebounds and one block in 25 minutes for the Sky. She converted 5-of-12 field goal attempts and 2-of-2 free throw attempts.

Diamond DeShields recorded one rebound and one assists in five minutes for Chicago.

Las Vegas defeated Los Angeles, 87-71, at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Rickea Jackson started at forward and played 34 minutes for the Sparks. She totaled 15 points, five rebounds, two steals, one assist and one block.

Jackson converted 7-of-11 field goal attempts and 1-of-2 free throw attempts.

Rae Burrell recorded nine points and two rebounds in 17 minutes for Los Angeles. She made 3-of-4 field goal attempts and 3-of-4 free throw attempts.

Indiana defeated Seattle, 92-75, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Jordan Horston started at forward and played 31 minutes for the Storm. She recorded four points, two rebounds and one assist. Horston converted 2-of-4 field goal attempts.

Mercedes Russell totaled one point, three rebounds and one assist in 12 minutes for Seattle.

PHOTOS: Kim Caldwell through the years

Christine Tannous/USA TODAY Network

Caitlin Clark couldn’t believe she got a technical foul for slapping the stanchion in frustration

Caitlin Clark was stunned she got a technical foul for this outburst.

A banner afternoon for Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark — where she set the WNBA single-season rookie assist record against the Seattle Storm — wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Well, from start to finish, anyway. Eventually, competitive fire kicked in, as did a little exasperation from the dynamic guard.

After missing a shot on the other end of the court in the third quarter, the ball went out of play with Clark defending. Clark wasn’t happy with herself and slapped the stanchion in frustration. The referee watching Clark didn’t let this slide and gave her a technical foul for the emotional outburst.

Naturally, as almost any basketball player would do, Clark threw her hands up and disagreed with the call:

I understand why Clark would be upset with this ruling. A technical foul for plainly showing emotion in a competitive environment is a little silly on its face. At the same time, I don’t think she had much of a case. This is a clear tech anywhere anyone plays organized basketball. There’s showing emotion, and there’s unnecessarily losing your cool in the heat of the moment.

For this specific moment, Clark probably fitted the latter description. Sometimes, passion gets the best of all of us.

UPDATE: Here’s how the referee described this sequence with Clark.

Caitlin Clark launched a beautiful full-court pass to break the WNBA rookie assist record

Caitlin Clark continues to do the unbelievable.

In the Indiana Fever’s second game back from the Paris Olympics break, Caitlin Clark had a chance to make some unique WNBA history. The guard needed just a few assists to break the league’s all-time rookie single-season record of 225, set by Ticha Penicheiro for the now-defunct Sacramento Monarchs in 1998.

And with the Fever locked in a tight battle with the Seattle Storm in the third quarter, Clark found a way to create a dynamite advantage for her team — by pushing the ball in transition — while breaking the record at the same time.

Seriously, she threaded a perfect full-court dime to Kelsey Mitchell, showing off why her attaining the rookie assist record was probably inevitable:

With the mark official, the Fever shared a touching congratulatory message to Clark from Penicheiro:

The more time goes on, the more it becomes clear we’re truly watching Clark piece together one of the greatest WNBA rookie seasons ever.

Former Lady Vols’ WNBA results for July 10

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

Two former Lady Vols competed in the WNBA on Wednesday, while one did not play due to a coach’s decision.

Chicago defeated Atlanta, 78-69, at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois.

Isabelle Harrison totaled four points, six rebounds, two steals and one assist for the Sky in 14 minutes. She converted 2-of-5 field goal attempts.

Diamond DeShields recorded two points. She made 1-of-2 field goal attempts.

Las Vegas defeated Seattle, 84-79, at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. Washington.

Jordan Horston started at forward for the Storm and played 27 minutes. She recorded two points, seven rebounds and two assists, while converting 1-of-6 field goal attempts.

Mercedes Russell did not play for Seattle due to a coach’s decision.

Four former Notre Dame stars compete in Seattle Storm-Chicago Sky game

Second meeting for these teams in three days.

For the second time in three days, the Seattle Storm hosted the Chicago Sky. Together, the teams boast five players who once represented Notre Dame. The Storm won the third and final matchup between the teams for the regular season, 84-71.

The Storm’s [autotag]Jewell Loyd[/autotag] led the former Irish players with 20 points despite shooting only 6-of-20 from the field. [autotag]Skylar Diggins-Smith[/autotag], Loyd’s fellow starting guard, scored 15 points and led all players with eight assists.

For the Sky, [autotag]Marina Mabrey[/autotag] and [autotag]Lindsay Allen[/autotag] tied for the team lead with six assists apiece. Mabrey scored 14 points but had a game-high four turnovers. Allen made a single basket on two field-goal attempts.

[autotag]Brianna Turner[/autotag], who played on her 28th birthday when these teams met the other night, was left on the bench for the third time in four games.

This game also was notable for Angel Reese recording her WNBA-record 13th straight double-double, breaking a record previously held by Candace Parker. We’ll see if she can wrestle Rookie of the Year honors away from Caitlin Clark.

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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89