Seattle Storm

The Seattle Storm are a professional women’s basketball team based in Seattle, playing in the WNBA’s Western Conference. The franchise was launched by Ginger and Barry Ackerley before the 2000 season. Its current ownership group, Force 10 Hoops LLC, includes Seattle businesswomen Dawn Trudeau, Lisa Brummel, and Ginny Gilder, alongside former Storm player Sue Bird and NFL linebacker Bobby Wagner. Over 25 seasons, the Storm have made the playoffs 19 times. They have won four WNBA championships—in 2004, 2010, 2018, and 2020—tying the defunct Houston Comets and the Minnesota Lynx for the most titles in league history. The Storm are also one of only two franchises never to lose a WNBA Finals series.

The team fosters a family-friendly atmosphere at home games with an all-kid dance squad that leads young fans in a conga line during time-outs to the Quad City DJ’s “C’mon N’ Ride It (The Train).” Reflecting Seattle’s rainy climate, the Storm use weather-themed branding: the mascot is Doppler, a maroon creature with a cup anemometer on its head; the home-game theme song is AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck”; and the team newsletter is called Stormwatch. Before February 28, 2008, the Storm were the sister team of the NBA’s Seattle SuperSonics, after which they were sold to Force 10 Hoops LLC.

The Storm’s predecessor, the Seattle Reign, was a charter member of the American Basketball League (ABL) from 1996 until the league folded in December 1998. Seattle quickly received a WNBA expansion franchise and began play less than two years later. The league held an expansion draft on December 15, 1999, for the Storm, Indiana Fever, Portland Fire, and Miami Sol. Coached by Lin Dunn and led by guard Edna Campbell and Czech center Kamila Vodichkova, the Storm finished their inaugural 2000 season with a 6–26 record. That poor record allowed them to draft 19-year-old Australian Lauren Jackson. Although the team missed the playoffs in 2001, Jackson’s strong rookie season gave the franchise a foundation to build on.

In the 2002 draft, the Storm selected UConn point guard Sue Bird, filling a key gap. With Bird’s playmaking and Jackson’s scoring and rebounding, the team reached the playoffs for the first time in 2002 but were swept by the Los Angeles Sparks. Anne Donovan became head coach in 2003. That year, Jackson won the WNBA MVP award, but Bird missed much of the season with an injury, and the Storm missed the playoffs. In 2004, the Storm posted a then-franchise-best 20–14 record. They swept the Minnesota Lynx in the first round, then defeated the Sacramento Monarchs 2–1 in the Western Conference Finals. In the WNBA Finals, they beat the Connecticut Sun 2–1, with Betty Lennox named Finals MVP. The victory made Anne Donovan the first female head coach to win a WNBA championship.

Several key players from the 2004 championship team left after that season, including Vodichkova, Tully Bevilaqua, and Sheri Sam. A preseason injury to Australian newcomer Jessica Bibby also hurt the 2005 campaign. The Storm matched their 2004 record and made the playoffs but lost in the first round to the Houston Comets, 2–1. In 2006, they finished 18–16 and lost a tight first-round series to the Sparks, 2–1. The 2007 team went 17–17 and was swept in the first round by the Phoenix Mercury. Anne Donovan resigned as head coach on November 30, 2007, and Brian Agler took over on January 9, 2008. In 2008, the Storm posted a franchise-best 22–12 record and a 16–1 home mark, but as the No. 2 seed they lost to the No. 3 Sparks in three games. In 2009, they went 20–14 and finished second in the West again, only to lose to the Sparks in three games for the fifth straight first-round exit.

The 2010 Storm were dominant, tying the league record with 28 wins and 6 losses, including a perfect 17–0 at KeyArena—the most home wins in WNBA history. Lauren Jackson earned Western Conference Player of the Week five times and Player of the Month three times, winning her third league MVP award. Brian Agler was named Coach of the Year. In the playoffs, the Storm...