Seattle Storm

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Seattle Storm
Seattle Storm logo
founding 1999
history Seattle Storm
since 2000
Stadion Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion / Angel of the Winds Arena
Location Seattle , Washington
Club colors dark green, red, gold colored
league WNBA
Conference Western Conference
Head coach Dan Hughes
General manager Alisha Valavanis
owner Force 10 Hoops, LLC
Championships 2004 , 2010 , 2018
Conference title 2004 , 2010 , 2018 * (* after regular season)

Seattle Storm is a basketball franchise of the Women's National Basketball Association based in Seattle , Washington . It was founded in 1999 and started playing at the beginning of the 2000 season . The team colors are dark green, red and gold.

The team's name, Storm , refers to the rainy weather in Seattle, where the franchise usually plays its home games in the Climate Pledge Arena . Since this is currently being renovated, you have to go to the Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion or the Angel of the Winds Arena . After a difficult start in the WNBA, which is the most popular women's basketball league in the world, Seattle Storm won the championship for the first time in 2004 . Further titles followed in 2010 and 2018 , making the team one of the most successful active teams in the WNBA. The most successful players in the franchise are Sue Bird , who has played in the team since 2002, and Lauren Jackson , who played in the team from 2001 to 2012. Bird was involved in all three title wins, Jackson in two.

The franchise has changed hands three times since its inception and was owned by the same company until 2008, along with the Seattle SuperSonics NBA team . In 2008 it became the league's seventh independent franchise and has since been owned by a group of owners around three local businesswomen who secured the franchise in Seattle with the acquisition.

history

Foundation and start in the WNBA (1999 to 2000)

Due to the dissolution of the American Basketball League in 1998, the Seattle Reign had to cease playing, causing the city of Seattle to look for a possible alternative to the Reign. After the Women's National Basketball Association announced in June 1999 that it would add four teams to the league, then-mayor of the city, Paul Schell, sent a letter to The Ackerley Group , then owner of Seattle SuperSonics , asking them to sign up for one Promote women's basketball franchise in the WNBA. In return, Schell was willing to lower the rent for the KeyArena . The company around Barry Ackerley showed interest in the offer, but rejected it for the time being. Subsequently, tied The Ackerley Group a possible application for a WNBA franchise to four conditions. The city agreed to meet three of the four points (these three points related purely to income and expenditure from WNBA games), but declined the request that The Ackerley Group hold independent concerts in the KeyArena . Despite this disagreement, The Ackerley Group hired Karen Bryant in June 1999 to secure a WNBA franchise for the group of companies. Bryant previously served as General Manager at Seattle Reign. In June 1999 Val Ackerman , then president of the WNBA, announced that Seattle would get a WNBA franchise, provided that at least 5,500 season tickets were sold by October 15, 1999. In July, club leaders named Lin Dunn , who previously coached Portland Power , as the franchise's first coach and manager.

Lin Dunn was the franchise's first trainer and manager

On October 13th, after long discussions, the City of Seattle and The Ackerley Group reached an agreement regarding the rental of the KeyArena. In this regard, the city of The Ackerley Group waived a large part of the outstanding costs that had arisen due to the lockout in the 1998/99 NBA season . As of October 15, The Ackerley Group had sold over 7,200 season tickets (1,700 more than needed), meeting the WNBA requirements and securing the creation of a WNBA franchise for Seattle. When selling season tickets, there was also support from well-known personalities, for example Gary Payton bought season tickets for himself and his family. In addition, attempts were made to increase ticket sales through targeted events - for example, Lin Dunn and Karen Bryant dribbled a WNBA basketball 5.5 miles through downtown Seattle. On October 22nd, the formation of all four new franchises was officially confirmed by the WNBA. After the successful founding, the first players were signed in the Expansion Draft in December with Edna Campbell , Sonja Henning , Angela Aycock , Nina Bjedov , Toni Foster and Charmin Smith . At the beginning of 2000, the name of the franchise was announced with Storm . A few days after the team name was announced, the team logo was published in front of over 2,000 season ticket buyers in the KeyArena . On April 25, Seattle Storm first took part in the WNBA Draft . With the ninth right to vote, the franchise opted for the Czech Kamila Vodičková . In the subsequent rounds, the team secured the rights to Charisse Sampson , Kirra Jordan and Katrina Hibbert, among others .

The 2000 season began Seattle Storm - as usual with expansion teams - with a weak athletic squad. In the first WNBA game on May 31, 2000, the team lost to the Sacramento Monarchs with 60:76 points. Katrina Hibbert transformed the first field basket in franchise history. The team played their first home game the following day against the reigning champions from Houston . The home game, at which the team mascot Doppler was presented, was won by the Houston Comets with 77:47 points. After losing the first four games, the franchise achieved their first win on June 13 in the away game against the Charlotte Sting . Four days later, the team won their first home game against the Los Angeles Sparks . The franchise won only six of 32 games, ending the season as the worst team in the league.

First years (2001 to 2002)

Seattle Storm players in 2002

Before the beginning of the 2001 season , Seattle Storm and the Seattle SuperSonics were sold to The Basketball Club of Seattle , a private investor group around Howard Schultz , for $ 200 million . Since the team ended last season with the worst record in the league, he was awarded the first right to vote in the 2001 draft . The franchise decided on the draft for the 19-year-old Australian Lauren Jackson , who first attracted attention at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney when she led the Australian national basketball team to the finals. Lin Dunn said after the draft about the Australian: "Lauren Jackson is not only the top player in this year's draft, she is one of the elite players in the world." (Analogous translation: "Lauren Jackson is not just one of the best." Players in this year's draft, she belongs to the world's elite players. ”). The second season began for the club with a home win over the Phoenix Mercury . In this game she got the most points with 21 points. On July 11th, the league's annual All-Star Game took place, for which Jackson was nominated as the first female player in the franchise. Although Seattle Storm started the season well with four wins in the first six games, it ended up only reaching ten wins in 32 games, which was again the worst record in the league.

The order for the Draft 2002 was determined on November 13, 2001 by the Draft Lottery . Since this is a weighted lottery, the club had the best chance of getting the first vote due to the worst record in the league and eventually won the lottery. They then decided on Sue Bird , the point guard of the University of Connecticut , and hoped that the commitment would result in a significant increase in performance compared to the previous year. Although Bird was able to live up to expectations, the club started the 2002 season mediocre . The franchise ultimately ended the regular season with 17 wins in 32 games, making it the first to win the majority of its games. The team finished fourth in the Western Conference and qualified for the playoffs for the first time. There Seattle Storm met in the first round on the seeding list Los Angeles Sparks . The Sparks clearly won the series 2-0 games. Despite this defeat , a clear upward trend was evident with the reaching of the playoffs and the solid performances of Jackson and Bird, both nominated for the All-Star Game .

On September 13, 2002, Dunn resigned as the head coach and manager of Seattle Storm. As a result, Bill McKinney took over the position of manager and was also charged with finding a coach. In mid-December, the club management introduced Anne Donovan, the new coach of the franchise.

Winning the first championship (2003 to 2004)

Anne Donovan, who coached the franchise from 2003 to 2007

Before the 2003 season , the Miami Sol and Portland Fire two franchises closed their gaming operations. The franchise took advantage of the liquidations by hiring several players from the two teams. Due to the upheaval in the franchise, Donovan's expectations were rather low at the beginning of the season. She herself took the view that the team would not reach their full potential until June. After a poor start to the season, Seattle slowly worked its way into the playoff ranks. Although the club ended the season again with a positive record (18 wins in 34 games), they ultimately did not qualify for the playoffs. Jackson ended the season with a points average of 21.2 (best average in the league) and a rebound average of 9.3 (fourth best average in the league). At the end of the season she received the Most Valuable Player Award for her outstanding achievements . Seattle Storm had a lot of bad luck with injuries during the season, so Bird, who was voted into the All-WNBA First Team and All-Star Game with Jackson , played most of the time with a knee injury. In addition, Kamila Vodičková , who played her best season so far, had to end the season prematurely due to a supination trauma in her left foot.

Due to the dissolution of the Cleveland Rockers , a dispersal draft took place again before the 2004 season , in which the remaining teams of the WNBA were able to secure the rights to the players of the Rockers. Seattle Storm chose Betty Lennox , who received the Rookie of the Year Award in 2000. In addition, the franchise transferred its voting rights in the first round of the 2004 draft together with Amanda Lassiter to the Minnesota Lynx , in exchange for the experienced Sheri Sam and center Janell Burse . With this exchange, Donovan fulfilled her goal of signing an experienced winger and a replacement center for Vodičkováden in the event of an injury-related loss. Most experts were of the opinion that the club would end the season in third place at best, basketball Hall of Fame member Ann Meyers only saw the Seattle franchise in seventh and last place in the Western Conference . Similar to last season, the club dominated most of its home games, but could hardly achieve successes away. The club ultimately secured second place in the Western Conference one match day before the end of the regular season and thus did significantly better than forecast. With second place (20 wins in 34 games) he qualified for the playoffs, where the club defeated the Minnesota Lynx 2-0 in the first round. As a result, the franchise also won the Western Conference Finals against the Sacramento Monarchs 2-1 in games. In the finals, Seattle Storm met the Connecticut Sun , who had a home advantage due to their better record in the regular season. Seattle beat Connecticut 2-1 in games, winning the WNBA championship for the first time. After the final game, Lennox was named the most valuable player in the final series . In addition, Donovan was the first WNBA coach to win a WNBA championship.

Moderate successes and sales of the franchise (2005 to 2009)

Betty Lennox 2006

After winning the championship, three key players left the team with Kamila Vodičková , Tully Bevilaqua and Sheri Sam . In return, the club management extended the contracts with Betty Lennox , Lauren Jackson and Janell Burse , who advanced for Vodičková in the starting lineup. In addition, the club's management selected a defensively strong player with Tanisha Wright in twelfth overall position in the 2005 draft . Despite the many departures, the franchise finished the regular season again in second place in the Western Conference (20 wins in 34 games). After the final game of the regular season, Donovan announced that her contract with the Storm had been extended. In the playoffs, the franchise failed in the first round at the Houston Comets, despite home advantage . Over the course of the season, Bird, Jackson and Burse, who finished second in the vote for the most improved player of the season , were each named Player of the Week. In addition, Bird and Jackson were elected to the All-WNBA First Team and the starting line-up of the All-Star Games .

Lauren Jackson (# 15) with Sue Bird (# 10) 2006

The 2006 season was less successful compared to the previous two. This was mainly due to the failures of several key players. In addition, Lauren Jackson was unable to reach her full potential due to a shin injury. Due to the low squad depth, the team could only compensate for these failures with difficulty. Mid-season, the WNBA honored the best players of the first ten years, including two Seattle Storm players, Lauren Jackson and Sue Bird. The regular season ended the franchise in fourth (18 wins in 34 games) and thus the last playoff place. There the club met in the first round on the first place in the seed list Los Angeles Sparks , who won the series 2-1. Aside from sports, the sale of the franchise made headlines. The Basketball Club of Seattle jointly sold the franchise with Seattle SuperSonics to The Professional Basketball Club LLC , an Oklahoma City-based group of owners, for $ 350 million . The former owners cited the KeyArena , which was in need of renovation, as well as losses in the millions (in this context, reference was also made to the too expensive leasing contract for the venue) as the main reasons for selling the franchise.

The 2007 season was very similar to the previous one, with Seattle Storm going through many ups and downs. The season was largely marked by the outstanding performances of Lauren Jackson, who was named Most Valuable Player and Best Defender at the end of the season . Although Jackson had a very successful season personally with the best points average (23.8) and rebound average (9.7) in the league, the franchise did not get beyond fourth place in the Western Conference with 17 wins in 34 games. While the club again won a large part of their home games (twelve home wins), they usually left the field as a loser. In the playoffs, Seattle was eliminated again in the first round, this time against the Phoenix Mercury . The less successful season was again marked by many injuries, so Bird missed four games due to a knee injury, while Burse had an operation on his left shoulder shortly before the end of the season and was therefore not available in the playoffs. In addition, the attacking game depended too much on Jackson and the rest of the starting lineup, who scored over 85% of the points. Shortly after the end of the season, Donovan announced her resignation after five seasons as head coach despite an ongoing contract.

In January 2008, Clay Bennet, chairman of The Professional Basketball Club, LLC , sold the franchise to a Seattle-based group of owners called Force 10 Hoops, LLC . This sale separated Seattle Storm from SuperSonics, which had since been relocated to Oklahoma City, and ensured that the franchise would remain in Seattle. One day after the sale, the club management introduced Brian Agler, the franchise's new head coach. Before the start of the 2008 season, the franchise roster changed noticeably, with Betty Lennox losing it to the Atlanta Dream in the expansion draft . This loss was more than compensated for with the signing of All-Star Swin Cash and former season MVPs Sheryl Swoopes and Yolanda Griffith . Bird, Jackson, Cash, Swoopes and Griffith had collectively won nine WNBA championships, received six MVP awards and played in 26 All-Star Games. This put the club in the 2008 season one of the strongest teams in the entire league. The regular season ended the franchise with 22 wins in 34 games just behind the San Antonio Silver Stars . In the playoffs, the club failed in the first round at the Los Angeles Sparks with 1: 2 in games.

After the disappointing end in the first round of the playoffs, the club management rebuilt the squad again, so the contracts of Swoopes and Griffith were not extended. In return, the franchise extended Tanisha Wright's contract and also signed Point Guard , Shannon Johnson , Suzy Batkovic-Brown and Burse, who had suspended the 2008 season due to an injury. The regular season ended the club with 20 wins in 34 games again in second place in the Western Conference. In the first round, Seattle faced the Los Angeles Sparks for the third time in four years. Without Jackson, who was sidelined for ankle surgery, the team struggled to score against the Sparks and was eliminated in the first round for the fifth time in a row. Despite this early departure, there have been some positive developments within the franchise as Wright emerged as one of the best defenders in the league, which was reflected in her first nomination to the WNBA All-Defensive First Team . In addition, Bird ended the season with the highest average of assists (5.8) in the league and was recognized as a peak performer . Furthermore, with Bird, Cash and Jackson, three Storm players were in the starting line-up of an All-Star Game for the first time , in which Cash was named the most valuable player.

Second championship win (2010 to 2013)

On April 21, 2010, the club's management announced that they had signed a long-term sponsorship agreement with Microsoft . According to Karen Bryant, this agreement will secure over $ 1 million in revenue for the franchise. With Bing , an internet search engine from Microsoft, there is for the first time a sponsor on the jerseys of the Storm.

In the 2010 season , for the first time in a long time, there was no major squad restructuring. With 28 wins in 34 games and an interim winning streak of 13 games, the franchise ended the regular season in first place in the Western Conference for the first time . For this stellar season, Brian Agler was named Coach of the Year as the franchise's first coach. In addition, Lauren Jackson was named Regular Season Most Valuable Player for the third time . In the first playoff round, the team met the Los Angeles Sparks for the fourth time in five years . In contrast to the previous three encounters, this time the Seattle team emerged victorious. In the Western Conference Finals , the club prevailed 2-0 in games against the Phoenix Mercury and thus made it back to the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2004, where the team met Atlanta Dream . In the finals, the franchise beat Atlanta Dream 3-0 in games and won the championship for the second time. For the most valuable player of the Finals Lauren Jackson was named.

Before the 2011 season , the club's management hired seven-time All-Star Game participant Katie Smith from the Washington Mystics . In return, the Mystics received Jasmine Thomas , as well as a first round vote for the WNBA Draft 2012 . Furthermore, the contracts of Camille Little and Swin Cash were extended, whereby the starting line-up remained unchanged compared to the two previous seasons. In the regular season, the Storm could not quite build on the successes from the previous one and ended the season behind the Minnesota Lynx in second place in the Western Conference. In the playoffs they were eliminated in the first round, despite a 1-0 lead in the meantime with 1: 2 in games against the Phoenix Mercury .

During the 2011 season, Lauren Jackson announced that she would like to focus primarily on the national team and the 2012 Olympic Games in London . It was therefore not available to the franchise for the entire first half of the season. With the knowledge that Jackson will only strengthen the team in the second half of the season, the management decided to rejuvenate the squad. On January 2, 2012, the two veterans Swin Cash and Le'coe Willingham were transferred to the Chicago Sky for the second draft pick in the 2012 WNBA Draft . With this swap, the franchise created additional freedom to the salary cap prescribed by the league , which gave the management greater financial leeway in the free agent market. The management of the Storm subsequently engaged the two former all-stars Ann Wauters and Tina Thompson . In addition, the franchise used the second draft pick to sign Shekinna Stricklen . At the start of the season, the team fell short of expectations - seven of the first eight games were lost. Nonetheless, Agler remained calm and told the press that the team would improve significantly as the game progressed. This statement turned out to be true when the team went into the Olympic break with a record of 9 wins and 10 losses. After the break, the team was able to fall back on their full squad for the first time, but at this point the franchise was placed in fourth place in the table with a clear gap to the top and the back teams. The franchise finished the regular season in fourth place with 16 wins in 34 games, taking them to the playoffs against the Minnesota Lynx , who ended the regular season with the best record. The franchise lost to the Lynx, in a very even series, 2-1 in games.

The 2013 season was almost identical to the previous one. After an increase of one win, the regular season ended with a balanced record in fourth place and again ended the season in the first playoff round with a loss to the Minnesota Lynx. This was the eighth failure in the first round of playoffs in the past nine seasons for the team.

New beginning after unsuccessful years (since 2014)

In the 2014 and 2015 seasons , the team was even less successful in terms of sport. With 12 and 10 wins, the playoffs were clearly missed. But the team was lucky enough to receive the first draft pick twice in the draft lottery and thus lay the foundation for a successful team again. The first of these two draft picks was used for Jewell Loyd, who was also named Rookie of the Year by the league. The same honor was given to the next of these draft picks, Breanna Stewart, after the 2016 season . In 2016, the Seattle team reached the playoffs for the first time since the 2013 season with the third-best record in the Western Conference . In the first round of the new playoff system you lost to the team from Atlanta. In the 2017 season , the Storm reached the playoffs again despite a negative balance. As is often the case, the playoffs ended after the first round, this time the Phoenix Mercury were the opponents.

In 2018 , the Storm played a very strong season under the leadership of veteran Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart, who received the award as the best player in the league after the season. In the regular season, the team won 26 of 34 games, making them the most successful team in the league. This gave the team a bye in the first two playoff rounds. In the semifinals you could prevail in five games against the team of Phoenix Mercury. In the WNBA finals you met the Washington Mystics who could be defeated after three games.

The Storm have only been able to win playoff series in the three championship seasons, but have now failed eleven times in the opening round. This remarkable streak ended in 2019 . The Storm reached the playoffs for the 15th time in 20 seasons, but failed after a success in the 1st round in the 2nd round at the Los Angeles Sparks team .

Venues

season Home
games
Number of spectators		 Audience
cut		 WNBA
cut
2000 16 142,594 8,912 9,074
2001 16 095.257 5,954 9,075
2002 16 111,774 6,986 9,228
2003 17th 120,857 7.109 8,800
2004 17th 135,320 7,960 8,613
2005 17th 150,760 8,868 8,172
2006 17th 145.142 8,538 7,490
2007 17th 135,396 7,964 7,750
2008 17th 140.503 8,265 7,948
2009 17th 133,858 7,874 8,039
2010 17th 141,472 8,322 7,834
2011 17th 147.196 8,649 7,955
2012 17th 127.266 7,489 7,457
2013 17th 118,671 6,981 7,531
2014 17th 114.181 6,717 7,578
2015 17th 110,767 6,516 7,318
2016 17th 122,912 7,230 7,655
2017 17th 130.975 7,704 7,716
2018 17th 137,846 8,109 6,769
2019 17th 128,548 7,562 6,535
total 337 2,591,295 7,689 7,976
(since 2000)

Seattle Storm has played its home games in the KeyArena (today: Climate Pledge Arena ), a 17,072-seat hall, since it was founded . The arena was opened in 1962 as part of the Century 21 Exposition under the name Washington State Pavilion . After the World's Fair, the hall was rebuilt and renamed the Washington State Coliseum . Between 1994 and 1995 the arena was completely renovated. On April 11, 1995, KeyCorp became the name sponsor of the arena, which changed the name of the hall to KeyArena . The Storm shared the arena with the Seattle SuperSonics until 2008 . At the moment, in addition to the Storm, the Seattle University Redhawks and the Rat City Rollergirls are playing their home games in the KeyArena.

Starting in 2019, the Seattle Storm will temporarily host their home games in the Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion , as the former KeyArena is undergoing extensive renovations. The second venue used is the Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett .

Audience numbers

The Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle before the renovation

In the first season, an average of 8,912 spectators attended the home games of the Seattle Storm, which is still the team's record after the 2015 season. Due to the moderate success in the first season, the average attendance fell in the following season to an all-time low of 5,954. After the franchise in 2001 Lauren Jackson and 2002 Sue Bird in the first place in the WNBA draft chose significantly increased the quality of the team, which also have a positive impact in further consequence to the audience development.

After Seattle Storm in 2004 won the championship, it exceeded 2,005 with an average attendance of 8,868 for the first time since 2000, the 8,000 mark. A total of 150,760 spectators attended Storm's 17 home games in 2005, which is the all-time record for the franchise even after the 2017 season. Thanks to the good squad, there were no more major fluctuations in the following seasons. Between 2006 and 2010, an average of 8,000 spectators attended the home games of the Seattle Storm. After the sporting performance subsided after the second championship in 2010, the number of spectators fell again and in 2015 reached the second worst value in Storm history. In the following seasons, the average attendance increased again and exceeded the league average again after six years in the 2018 championship season.

An entry ticket costs between $ 19 and $ 59 for the 2017 season .

Achievements and honors

Sporting successes

title season
WNBA championship 2004 , 2010 and 2018
Western Conference title 2004, 2010 and 2018 * (* after regular season)

Seattle Storm celebrated its first major success in the still young franchise history in the 2004 season when it won the championship for the first time. The team defeated the Connecticut Sun in the decisive third game in the final series . The next big success followed in 2010 when the club finished the regular season as the best team with 28 wins in 34 games. The team then won every game in the playoffs, securing the championship for the second time. In 2018 the team won the WNBA championship for the third time. This makes Seattle Storm one of the active franchises with the most championship titles after the Minnesota Lynx .

Individual awards

All-Star Game MVP : The award for the most outstanding player in the All-Star Game was received as the only Storm Swin Cash player to date.

Coach of the Year Award : Brian Agler was the first Seattle Storm coach to receive the Best Coach of the Year award in 2010.

Defensive Player of the Year Award : The award for the most outstanding defensive player of the regular season went to Lauren Jackson in 2007. In 2019 Natasha Howard received the award.

Finals MVP Award : In 2004 the franchise won the championship for the first time. In the finals, the young Betty Lennox was surprisingly voted Finals MVP for some. When she won the championship in 2010, Lauren Jackson was named Most Valuable Player of the Final Series. Breanna Stewart was named the Finals MVP when the Storm won its third title of the 2018 season.

Most Valuable Player Award : Lauren Jackson was the first non-American to win this award in 2003. In 2007 and 2010 she was able to win this award again. Breanna Stewart became the second Storm player to be honored as the WNBA's best player in 2018.

Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award : Sue Bird was the only Storm player to date to win the Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award, which honors those players who stand out during the season because of their high sporting standards and exemplary behavior. She received the second award in 2017 and the third time in 2018.

Peak Performer : After Lauren Jackson was twice the top scorer in the league, she received two awards in this category in 2007 for the best points and rebound average in the entire league. In 2009, point guard Sue Bird won her first of two awards when she scored the highest assists average in the league.

Rookie of the Year Award : So far, the award for the best newcomer has only gone to Seattle twice, although the team has already had the top draft pick four times. Players who were drafted as number 1 were twice able to fully meet the expectations of the draft and were honored as Rookie of the Year in their first season.

Most Improved Player Award : Natasha Howard was named the WNBA's Most Improved Player as the first Storm player in 2018.

WNBA All-Decade Team : On the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the WNBA in 2006, fans, media representatives, current players and coaches chose the ten players who had the greatest influence on the success of the WNBA. With Sue Bird and Lauren Jackson, two Storm players were selected.

WNBA's Top 15 Players of All Time :

A corresponding list of the 15 most important WNBA players was drawn up for the league's 15th anniversary. In addition to all the players in the All-Decade team, this included five other players. A total of five of these fifteen players played for Seattle in those fifteen seasons.

WNBA Top 20 @ 20:

For the 20th anniversary of the league, a list of the 20 most important WNBA players was drawn up. A total of seven of these twenty players in Seattle were active for Seattle in these twenty seasons.

All-WNBA team, all-defensive team, and all-rookie team appointments

Award Surname Season (number)
All-WNBA First Team Sue Bird 2002 , 2003 , 2004 , 2005 , 2016 (5)
Lauren Jackson 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 , 2007 , 2009 , 2010 (7)
Breanna Stewart 2018 (1)
Natasha Howard 2019 (1)
All-WNBA Second Team Sue Bird 2008 , 2010, 2011 (3)
Lauren Jackson 2005 (1)
Jewell Loyd 2016 (1)
Breanna Stewart 2016 (1)
WNBA All-Defensive First Team Lauren Jackson 2007, 2009 (2)
Tanisha Wright 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013 , 2014 (5)
Natasha Howard 2018 , 2019 (2)
WNBA All-Defensive Second Team Lauren Jackson 2005, 2008, 2010 (3)
Swin Cash 2011 (1)
Breanna Stewart 2016 (1)
Alysha Clark 2019 (1)
WNBA All-Rookie Team Jewell Loyd 2015 (1)
Ramu Tokashiki 2015 (1)
Breanna Stewart 2016 (1)

Since the basketball franchise was founded, five players from the franchise have made it into one of the all-WNBA teams and six into the all-defensive team .

After each season, the WNBA puts together a team, the All-WNBA First Team , with the best players of the WNBA season. In addition, an all-WNBA second team will be selected. Sue Bird was the first player to make it into the All-WNBA First Team after the 2002 season . In the following season, Lauren Jackson was another Storm player elected to the All-WNBA First Team . Overall, Lauren Jackson was elected seven times and Sue Bird four times in the All-WNBA First Team .

Since the 2005 season , the WNBA also has the WNBA All-Defensive First Team , with the best female defenders of the WNBA season. As with the All-WNBA Team, there is also a WNBA All-Defensive Second Team . Lauren Jackson made it to the WNBA All-Defensive Second Team as the first Storm player in 2005 . In 2007 she was elected to the WNBA All-Defensive First Team for the first time . Another appointment to the First team followed in 2009 . In addition to Jackson, Tanisha Wright, another Storm player, was elected to the first team . So far she has been part of the First Team a total of five times (2009, 2010 , 2011 , 2013 , and 2014 ) . Additionally, in 2011, Swin Cash was elected to the WNBA All-Defensive Second Team in her final season for the Storm .

Since the 2005 season , the WNBA has also created the WNBA All-Rookie Team , with the best newcomers of the WNBA season. After the 2015 season , Jewell Loyd and Ramu Tokashiki, two Storm players, were elected to the WNBA All-Rookie Team for the first time.

WNBA All-Star Game Nominations

Surname Season (number) of which in
starting formation
Lauren Jackson 2001 , 2002 , 2003 , 2005 , 2006 , 2007 , 2009 (7) 5
Sue Bird 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007 *, 2009, 2011 , 2014 , 2015 , 2017 , 2018 (11) 10
Swin Cash 2009, 2011 (2) 2
Tina Thompson 2013 (1) 0
Breanna Stewart 2017 , 2018 (2) 1
Jewell Loyd 2018 , 2019 (2) 1
Natasha Howard 2019 (1) 0

* Cancellation due to injury

A total of seven Seattle Storm players - Lauren Jackson , Sue Bird , Swin Cash , Tina Thompson , Breanna Stewart , Jewell Loyd and Natasha Howard - have been voted into the WNBA All-Star Game by fans because of their popularity or by the Trainer nominated. In 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016 there was no WNBA All-Star Game due to the Summer Olympics and 2010 because of the Basketball World Cup.

As the first player in the franchise, Lauren Jackson was nominated for the 2001 WNBA All-Star Game . At the following WNBA All-Star Game 2002 , Sue Bird was chosen as the first Storm player by the fans in the starting lineup. At the 2003 WNBA All-Star Game , Jackson and Bird were the first two women in the franchise to start. This mark was exceeded in the 2009 WNBA All-Star Game , when three Storm players - Bird, Jackson and Swin Cash - were selected for the starting lineup.

Cash was selected as the most valuable player in the All-Star Game as the only player in the franchise to date at the WNBA All-Star Game 2009. At the WNBA All-Star Game 2011 she was voted best player for the second time in a row.

Season overview

Abbreviations: Sp. = Games, S = victories, N = defeats

season Sp. S. N Wins in% space Playoffs
2000 32 6th 26th 18.8 8th, Western Conference not qualified
2001 32 10 22nd 31.3 8th, Western Conference not qualified
2002 32 17th 15th 53.1 4th, Western Conference Conference semifinals lost, 2-0 ( Los Angeles Sparks )
2003 34 18th 16 52.9 5th, Western Conference not qualified
2004 34 20th 14th 58.8 2nd, Western Conference Conference semifinals win, 2-0 ( Minnesota Lynx )
Conference finals win, 2-1 ( Sacramento Monarchs )
WNBA champions , 2-1 ( Connecticut Sun )
2005 34 20th 14th 58.8 2nd, Western Conference Conference semifinals lost, 2-1 ( Houston Comets )
2006 34 18th 16 52.9 4th, Western Conference Conference semifinals lost, 2-1 ( Los Angeles Sparks )
2007 34 17th 17th 50.0 4th, Western Conference Conference semifinals lost, 2-0 ( Phoenix Mercury )
2008 34 22nd 12 64.7 2nd, Western Conference Conference semifinals lost, 2-1 ( Los Angeles Sparks )
2009 34 20th 14th 52.9 2nd, Western Conference Conference semifinals lost, 2-1 ( Los Angeles Sparks )
2010 34 28 6th 82.4 1st, Western Conference Victory in the Conference Semifinals, 2-0 ( Los Angeles Sparks )
Victory in the Conference Finals, 2-0 ( Phoenix Mercury )
WNBA champions , 3-0 ( Atlanta Dream )
2011 34 21st 13 61.8 2nd, Western Conference Conference semifinals lost, 2-1 ( Phoenix Mercury )
2012 34 16 18th 47.1 4th, Western Conference Conference semifinals lost, 2-1 ( Minnesota Lynx )
2013 34 17th 17th 50.0 4th, Western Conference Conference semifinals lost, 2-0 ( Minnesota Lynx )
2014 34 12 22nd 35.3 5th, Western Conference not qualified
2015 34 10 24 29.4 5th, Western Conference not qualified
2016 34 16 18th 47.1 3rd, Western Conference 1st round loss, 0-1 ( Atlanta Dream )
2017 34 15th 19th 44.1 5th, Western Conference 1st round loss, 0-1 ( Phoenix Mercury )
2018 34 26th 8th 76.5 1st, Western Conference WNBA semifinals win, 3-2 ( Phoenix Mercury )
WNBA champions , 3-0 ( Washington Mystics )
2019 34 18th 16 52.9 3rd, Western Conference 1st round win, 1-0 ( Minnesota Lynx )
2nd round loss, 0-1 ( Los Angeles Sparks )
total 674 347 327 51.5 15 playoff appearances in 20 seasons
21 series: 9 wins, 12 losses
51 games: 26 wins, 25 losses (51.0%)

Records

Below are selected records of female players in the franchise both across their careers and in a single game.

Career

Lauren Jackson holds various franchise records
Surname number
Most games Sue Bird * 508 (in 16 seasons)
Most minutes Sue Bird * 16,173 (in 16 seasons)
Most of the points Sue Bird * 6.154
Most rebounds Lauren Jackson 2,447
Most assists Sue Bird * 2,831
Most steals Sue Bird * 652
Most blocked throws Lauren Jackson 586

* active player; Status after the end of the regular season 2018

game

Surname number season
Most minutes Lauren Jackson 55:00 (4 OT) 2001
Most of the points Lauren Jackson 47 (1 OT) 2007
Most rebounds Lauren Jackson 20th 2003
Most assists Sue Bird 14th 2006
Most steals Sue Bird 7th 2006
Most blocked throws Lauren Jackson 8th 2002

As of the end of the 2016 regular season

owner

owner Chairperson Period
The Ackerley Group Barry Ackerley 1999 to 2001
The Basketball Club of Seattle, LLC Howard Schultz 2001 to 2006
The Professional Basketball Club, LLC Clay Bennett 2006 to 2008
Force 10 Hoops, LLC Dawn Trudeau since 2008
Howard Schultz

The first owner of the Seattle Storm was The Ackerley Group , which at the time was also the owner of the Seattle SuperSonics . The group of companies, led by Barry Ackerley, used the application for a WNBA franchise to sign a new lease with the City of Seattle for the KeyArena . After only one season in the WNBA, the franchise changed hands for the first time. In early 2001, The Basketball Club of Seattle, LLC , an investment group led by Howard Schultz , bought the franchise together with Seattle SuperSonics for $ 200 million . The Basketball Club of Seattle, LLC consisted of a total of ten investors, with Schultz being the majority owner and serving as chairman.

Due to losses in the millions, an unattractive arcade in need of renovation and an overly expensive lease, the owners decided in 2006 to sell the two basketball franchises to The Professional Basketball Club LLC , an Oklahoma City owner group, for $ 350 million . After buying the franchise, Clay Bennett , chairman of the owners' group, requested support from the city of Seattle to build a new arena, otherwise he would relocate the two basketball franchises. Since the city and Bennett did not agree, he announced in November 2007 that the Seattle SuperSonics will relocate to Oklahoma City. About the whereabouts of the Storm in Seattle, he initially only said that the franchise would at least spend the 2008 season in Seattle.

Before the start of the 2008 season, Force 10 Hoops LLC , an owner group around three local business women, acquired the rights to the Seattle Storm for ten million dollars, thus ensuring that the franchise would remain in Seattle. On February 28, 2008, the WNBA approved the sale, making Seattle Storm the league's sixth independent franchise. The three main players in the group of owners are Dawn Trudeau , current chair of the organization, Lisa Brummel and Ginny Gilder .

Trainer

Surname season Regular season Playoffs
GC W. L. GC W. L.
Lin Dunn 2000 to 2002 96 33 63 2 0 2
Anne Donovan 2003 to 2007 170 93 77 18th 8th 10
Brian Agler 2008 to 2014 136 91 45 16 10 6th
Jenny Boucek 2015 to 2017 94 36 58 1 0 1
Gary Kloppenburg
(interim trainer) 		2017 8th 5 3 1 0 1
Dan Hughes since 2018 68 44 24 10 7th 3

Abbreviations: GC = games, W = wins, L = defeats

Seattle Storm began its debut season with Lin Dunn in the dugout. At the time, the franchise was one of the few that filled the post of head coach with a woman. Although the team improved from season to season under her leadership, she left the team after the 2002 season . Under her leadership, the two franchise players Lauren Jackson (2001) and Sue Bird (2002) were selected in the WNBA Draft . In addition, Dunn led the franchise in 2002 for the first time in its history in the playoffs.

After the departure of Dunn took the 2003 season with the Hall-of-Fame -member Anne Donovan woman again the post of head coach. In the 2004 season , she won a championship as the first female head coach in the history of the WNBA. Despite good performances in the following seasons, this was the only championship win under her. After the 2007 season , she dissolved her ongoing contract.

On January 8, 2008, Brian Agler was signed as the franchise's first male head coach. Under the leadership of Agler, the 2010 franchise ended the regular season for the first time as the best team in the league, with 28 wins in 34 games. For this outstanding performance, he was named the franchise's first trainer as the best trainer of the year . Seattle didn't lose a single game in the playoffs, which allowed Agler to lead the team to their first title since 2004 (the second ever). On November 18, 2011, his contract was extended to 2015.

Players

Squad of the 2020 season

As of August 1, 2020

No. country Surname position Date of birth Experience
in WNBA 		college
1 United StatesUnited States Crystal Langhorne Forward 10/27/1986 12 seasons University of Maryland
2 United StatesUnited States Mercedes Russell center 07/27/1995 2 seasons University of Tennessee
3 United StatesUnited States Morgan Tuck Forward 04/30/1994 4 seasons University of Connecticut
6th United StatesUnited States Natasha Howard Forward 09/02/1991 6 seasons Florida State University
10 United StatesUnited States Sue Bird Guard 10/16/1980 16 seasons University of Connecticut
11 United StatesUnited States Epiphanny Prince Guard 01/11/1988 10 seasons Rutgers University
13 AustraliaAustralia Ezi Magbegor center 08/13/1999 Rookie -
21st United StatesUnited States Jordin Canada Guard 08/11/1995 2 seasons University of California, Los Angeles
24 United StatesUnited States Jewell Loyd Guard 05/10/1993 5 seasons University of Notre Dame
30th United StatesUnited States Breanna Stewart Forward 08/27/1994 3 seasons University of Connecticut
32 United StatesUnited States Alysha Clark Forward 07/07/1987 8 seasons Middle Tennessee State University
33 United StatesUnited States Sami Whitcomb Guard 07/20/1988 3 seasons University of Washington

WNBA championship teams

(Participation in at least one playoff game)

WNBA champion

2004

Guards: Betty Lennox (Finals MVP) , Sue Bird , Tully Bevilaqua , Michelle Greco

Guard Fowards: Sheri Sam

Forwards: Alicia Thompson , Adia Barnes

Forward Center: Lauren Jackson , Kamila Vodichkova

Center: Janell Burse , Simone Edwards

Head coach: Anne Donovan 

WNBA champion

2010

Guards: Sue Bird, Alison Lacey , Tanisha Wright

Guard forwards: Svetlana Abrosimova

Forwards: Swin Cash , Camille Little , Jana Veselá , Le'coe Willingham

Forward Centers: Lauren Jackson (Finals MVP)

Center: Ashley Robinson

Head Coach: Brian Agler   General Manager: Karen Bryant

WNBA champions

2018

Guards: Sue Bird, Jordin Canada , Jewell Loyd , Noelle Quinn , Mercedes Russell

Guard forwards: Sami Whitcomb

Forwards: Alysha Clark , Natasha Howard , Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis , Breanna Stewart (Finals MVP)

Forward Centers: Crystal Langhorne

Center: Courtney Paris

Head Coach: Dan Hughes   General Manager: Alisha Valavanis

First-round voting rights in the WNBA Draft

Since the team was formed prior to the 2000 season , the club had 18 draft rights in the first round of the WNBA draft in 20 seasons . Three times the Storm did not have a draft pick in the first round due to trades ( 2004 , 2008 and 2017 ). In the 2015 WNBA Draft , for the only time so far, two players could be selected in the first round of the draft.

The Washington team has been able to select the first player in the draft four times. This is the highest number for a team in the WNBA. Jewell Loyd and Breanna Stewart two top draft picks lived up to their expectations and were voted the best newcomer of the year after their first seasons in the WNBA in 2015 and 2016 . The other two top draft picks could not win this honor. Surprisingly, these were the two longtime stars of the Storm, Lauren Jackson and Sue Bird , who did not receive this honor.

In the 2017 season , Jewell Loyd , Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis and Breanna Stewart were still three players selected by the team in the first round of the draft in the club's squad.

Withdrawn jersey numbers

No jersey number has yet been withdrawn by the franchise.

Members of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame

To date, no Seattle Storm player has been inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame . The only current reference to the Hall of Fame is through Anne Donovan , who was inducted in 1999 and who was the team's head coach from 2003 to 2006.

Well-known former players

(Team membership and position in brackets)

During her time in Seattle, she was selected several times in the starting lineup of the All-Star Team . She also had a large share in winning the second championship in the 2010 season .
Her last full WNBA season played the most valuable player of the 1999 season for the club.
In 2004 Seattle was able to win a championship for the first time. In the finals, the American was named Finals MVP .
After four championship titles with the Houston Comets and three Most Valuable Player Awards , she ended her long career in the WNBA in Seattle in 2008 .

Miscellaneous

Logo of the Storm

On January 6, 2000, the franchise presented the team name Storm to the public. The name of the franchise refers to Seattle's rainy weather.

The logo of the Seattle Storm, which was presented on January 19, 2000, contains some typical elements of Seattle, for example the Space Needle is part of the logo. Other elements of the logo are a cloud and the letter S in the word Storm is shown as lightning, which also relates to the weather in Seattle.

mascot

Doppler , a claret-colored creature with an anemometer on its head, has been the team's mascot since 2000. The mascot was presented to the public on June 1, 2000 at the Storm's first home game. Doppler does not only appear at the Storm's home games, but also during the year at events of all kinds (birthday parties, schools, parades, etc.).

Sponsorship

Logo of the Internet search engine Bing

On June 1, 2009, Donna Orender , then President of the WNBA , and David Stern , President of the NBA , announced that the Phoenix Mercury had signed a multi-year sponsorship deal with LifeLock. This was the first time that a sponsor was on a jersey and the basketball field of a WNBA team. The Los Angeles Sparks also played with a main sponsor on their jerseys for the first time in the 2009 season .

On April 21, 2010, the club's leadership announced that they had signed a long-term sponsorship deal with Microsoft . According to Karen Bryant, then CEO and general manager of Storm, this agreement will secure over a million dollars in revenue for the franchise. In return, since 2010, Bing , an Internet search engine operated by Microsoft, has featured on the club's jerseys for the first time. The logo replaces the place of the team logo, which is now located next to the supplier's logo and is roughly the same size. The logo of the internet search engine is not only used on the team's jerseys, but also appears on the players' training clothing, as well as on advertising boards in the KeyArena , as well as at charitable events organized by the franchise.

Media presence

Seattle Storm's television partner is King TV , which broadcasts the franchise's games on local channels KONG TV or Universal Sports . In addition, all Storm games can be received on the radio station KPTK AM 1090 , part of the CBS group.

In addition, selected WNBA games are broadcast nationwide on ABC , ESPN , ESPN2 and NBA TV . Viewers can also use WNBA LiveAccess , an online platform from WNBA.com, to follow all season games over the Internet.

In the 2012 season , a total of five Seattle Storm games will be broadcast nationwide on ESPN2.

Rivalries

The franchise has rivalries with the Phoenix Mercury and the Los Angeles Sparks . Both rivalries arose from multiple encounters in the playoffs, so the club have met the Sparks five times after the regular season, but they could only win one of them. He also met the Mercury three times in the playoffs between 2007 and 2011, which won two series.

Web links

Commons : Seattle Storm  - Collection of Images, Videos, and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Laura Vecsey and Steven Goldsmith: CITY OFFERS INCENTIVES FOR WNBA FRANCHISE DEAL WOULD MINIMIZE EXPENSES FOR ACKERLEY. (No longer available online.) Seattle Post-Intelligencer, May 12, 1999, formerly original ; accessed on May 8, 2012 .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.highbeam.com
  2. ↑ J. Martin Mcomber: City's Offer To Help Lure Wnba Does not Satisfy Sonic Owners. The Seattle Times, May 12, 1999, accessed May 8, 2012 .
  3. ↑ 2012 Media Guide. (PDF; 6.4 MB) (No longer available online.) Seattle Storm, p. 11 , archived from the original on September 5, 2012 ; accessed on June 16, 2012 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.wnba.com
  4. ↑ Terry Wood: New Team Must Get Fan Base Of 5,500. The Seattle Times, June 8, 1999, accessed May 8, 2012 .
  5. ↑ a b c The Calm Before the Storm. Seattle Storm, accessed May 1, 2012 .
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  8. ↑ 2000 Standings. WNBA, accessed May 2, 2012 .
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  10. ↑ The Ackerley Group Closes the $ 200 Million Sale of Seattle Supersonics. (No longer available online.) PRNewswire, April 2, 2001, archived from the original on December 6, 2009 ; accessed on May 7, 2012 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www2.prnewswire.com
  11. ↑ KOMO Staff & News Services: Seattle Storm Picks Lauren Jackson In WNBA Draft. KOMO News, April 20, 2001, accessed on May 3, 2012 .
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  34. ↑ Kevin Pelton: Storm Goes For Defense in Draft. Seattle Storm, April 16, 2005, accessed May 6, 2012 .
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  45. ^ Associated Press: After Settlement, SuperSonics Will Relocate to Oklahoma City. The New York Sun, July 3, 2008, accessed May 9, 2012 .
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  51. ↑ a b Kevin Pelton: 2009: Storm Stopped by Sparks Again. (No longer available online.) Seattle Storm, archived from the original on November 25, 2010 ; accessed on May 9, 2012 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.wnba.com
  52. ↑ 2009 Standings. WNBA, accessed May 9, 2012 .
  53. ↑ a b Kevin Pelton: Partnership with Bing is Major Milestone for Storm. Seattle Storm, April 21, 2010, accessed May 10, 2012 .
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  56. ↑ Mechelle Voepel: Katie Smith rejoins coach Brian Agler. ESPN.com, April 29, 2011, accessed May 10, 2012 .
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  62. ↑ Kevin Pelton: Trade is First Step Toward Remaking Roster. Seattle Storm, January 2, 2012, accessed December 18, 2012 .
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  67. ↑ Percy Allen: Storm will play at UW's Alaska Airlines Arena in 2019 while KeyArena is under construction. In: seattletimes.com. The Seattle Times , August 15, 2018, accessed September 24, 2018 .
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  82. ↑ a b WNBA Unveils 2012 Game Schedule as part of WNBA Tip-Off presented by Boost Mobile. WNBA, January 19, 2012, accessed May 12, 2012 .
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This version was added to the list of articles worth reading on June 23, 2012 .