The Storm has qualified for the WNBA Playoffs in eight of its eleven years in Seattle. The franchise has been home to many high-quality players such as all-star point guard Sue Bird, sharp-shooter and 2004 Finals MVP Betty Lennox, former UConn star Swin Cash, and Australian power-forward Lauren Jackson. In 2004 and 2010, the Storm went to the WNBA Finals; they won each time, beating Connecticut in 2004 and Atlanta in 2010.
The team cultivates a fan-friendly, family environment at home games by having an all-kid dance squad, which leads young fans in a conga line on the court during time-outs, to the music of "C'mon N' Ride It (The Train)" by the Quad City DJ's. Named for the rainy weather of Seattle, the team uses many weather-related icons: the team mascot is Doppler, a maroon-furred creature with a cup anemometer on its head; the theme song for Storm home games is AC/DC's Thunderstruck; and its newsletter is called Stormwatch.
The Storm was the sister team of the Seattle SuperSonics until February 28, 2008, when the team was sold to an independent ownership group in Seattle.[1]
Franchise history
A gloomy start (2000–2003)
The Storm's predecessor was the Seattle Reign, a charter member of the American Basketball League (ABL), operating from 1996 through December 1998, when the league folded. Luckier than most localities that had an ABL team, Seattle was quickly awarded a WNBA franchise and began play less than two years later.
The Seattle Storm would tip off their first season (the 2000 WNBA season) in typical expansion fashion. Coached by Lin Dunn and led by guard Edna Campbell and Czech center Kamila Vodichkova, the team finished with a 6–26 record. The low record, however, allowed the Storm to draft 19-year old Australian standout Lauren Jackson. Though Seattle did not make the playoffs in the 2001 season, Jackson's impressive rookie performance provided a solid foundation for the franchise to build on.
In the 2002 draft, the Storm drafted UConn star Sue Bird, filling the Storm's gap at the point guard position. With Bird's playmaking ability and Jackson's scoring and rebounding, the team made the playoffs for the first time in 2002, but were swept by the Los Angeles Sparks.
Coach Anne Donovan was hired for the 2003 campaign. In Donovan's first year, Jackson would win the WNBA Most Valuable Player Award, but the team had a disappointing season (with Bird injured for much of the year), and the Storm missed the playoffs.
To the WNBA Finals (2004)
The 2004 Storm posted a then franchise-best 20–14 record. In the playoffs, the Storm made quick work of the Minnesota Lynx, sweeping them in the first round. The Storm then squared off against an up-and-coming Sacramento Monarchs team in the West Finals. The Storm would emerge victorious, winning the series 2–1. In the WNBA Finals, the Storm would finish off the season as champions, defeating the Connecticut Sun 2 games to 1. Betty Lennox was named MVP of the Finals. The win made Anne Donovan the first female head coach in WNBA history to win the WNBA Championship.
A consistent postseason contender (2005–2009)
Key players from the Storm's championship season were not on the team in 2005. Vodichkova, Tully Bevilaqua, and Sheri Sam moved on to other teams. In addition, the pre-season injury of Australian star and new acquisition Jessica Bibby hampered the team's 2005 season. While they matched their 2004 record and made the playoffs, the Storm's title defense was stopped in the first round by the Houston Comets, 2 games to 1.
In 2006, the Storm would finish 18–16, good enough to make the playoffs. The Storm put up a good fight in the first round against the Sparks, but would fall short 2–1. In 2007, the Storm would finish .500 (17–17), good enough to make the playoffs in a weak Western Conference. The Storm would be quickly swept out of the playoffs by the Phoenix Mercury.
On November 30, 2007, Anne Donovan resigned as head coach, and was replaced by Brian Agler on January 9, 2008.[2][3]
Although most of Seattle's major sports teams endured poor seasons during 2008, the Storm would be the only standout team in Seattle that year, posting a franchise-best 22–12 record and finishing with a 16–1 record at home, also a franchise-best. But the No. 2 seeded Storm lost to the #3 Los Angeles Sparks in the first round of the playoffs in three games, and ended Seattle's season at 23–14 overall.
In 2009, the Storm were 20–14 and finished second in the Western Conference for the second straight year. In the playoffs, the Storm again lost to the #3 Los Angeles Sparks in 3 games, which ended their season in the first round for the fifth consecutive season.
In the 2010 season, the Storm were almost unstoppable with a record-tying 28 wins and 6 losses in the regular season, including a perfect 17–0 at KeyArena. This was the most home wins in the history of the WNBA.
Along the way, Lauren Jackson was named WNBA Western Conference Player of the Week five times, and Western Conference Player of the Month three times, on her way to being named WNBA MVP for the third time. Agler was also named Coach of the Year.
In the playoffs, the Storm dramatically reversed their fortunes from the previous five seasons. They started with a sweep of the Sparks, the team that previously knocked them out of the playoffs every time they met. Then they swept Diana Taurasi and the Phoenix Mercury in the conference finals, and the Atlanta Dream in the WNBA Finals. With two league championships, the Storm became Seattle's most successful pro sports team by that measure.
Off-court activity
2006 and 2008 sales
Following disagreements between the Basketball Club of Seattle (the former owners of the Sonics and Storm) and the city of Seattle concerning the need to renovate the KeyArena, the Seattle SuperSonics and the Seattle Storm were sold to an Oklahoma City group led by Clay Bennett on July 18, 2006.[4] Bennett made it clear that the Sonics and Storm would move to Oklahoma City at some point after the 2007–08 NBA season, unless an arena for the Sonics was approved by Seattle leaders before October 31, 2007. During this period of uncertainty, the Storm announced that they would play their 2008 WNBA season in Seattle at KeyArena.[5]
On January 8, 2008, Bennett sold the team to a Seattle group of women called Force 10 Hoops, LLC.[6] The sale was given unanimous approval from the WNBA Board of Governors on February 28, 2008.[7] This keeps the team in Seattle and disconnected it from the Sonics, which was dissolved with the 'new' basketball franchise and assets relocated to Oklahoma City.
Uniform sponsor
On April 21, 2010, the Storm and the WNBA announced a sponsor agreement with Bing, a search engine from Microsoft, to place the company's logo on their jerseys for the 2010 season.[8][9]
Currently, some Storm games are broadcast on KONG, which is a local television station for the area of Seattle. More often than not, NBA TV will pick up the feed from the local broadcast, which is shown nationally. Broadcasters for the Storm games are Dick Fain and Adia Barnes.
All games (excluding blackout games, which are available on ESPN3.com) are broadcast to the WNBA LiveAccess game feeds on the league website. Furthermore, some Storm games are broadcast nationally on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC. The WNBA has reached an eight year agreement with ESPN, which will pay right fees to the Storm, as well as other teams in the league.[10]
All-time notes
Regular season attendance
A sellout for a basketball game at KeyArena is 17,072.
2010 Sacramento Dispersal Draft: Chelsea Newton (10)
2010: Alison Lacey (10), Tanisha Smith (22), Tijana Krivacevic (34)
2011: Jasmine Thomas (12), Ify Ibekwe (24), Krystal Thomas (36)
Trades
May 27, 2000: The Storm traded a third-round pick in the 2001 Draft to the Houston Comets in exchange for Andrea Gardner.
June 11, 2000: The Storm traded the rights to Nina Bjedov to the Cleveland Rockers for Michelle Edwards.
April 24, 2001: The Storm traded Edna Campbell and a fourth-round pick in the 2002 Draft to the Sacramento Monarchs in exchange for Katy Steding and a second-round pick in the 2002 Draft.
June 17, 2002: The Storm traded Sonja Henning to the Houston Comets in exchange for Amanda Lassiter.
May 21, 2003: The Storm traded a third-round pick in the 2004 Draft to the Houston Comets in exchange for Rita Williams.
April 15, 2004: The Storm traded the 6th pick in the 2004 Draft and Amanda Lassiter to the Minnesota Lynx in exchange for Sheri Sam and Jannel Burse.
June 29, 2006: The Storm traded Cisti Greenwalt and a second-round pick in the 2007 Draft to the Chicago Sky in exchange for Ashley Robinson.
February 19, 2008: The Storm traded the 4th pick in the 2008 Draft to the Detroit Shock in exchange for Swin Cash.
June 22, 2008: The Storm traded a second-round pick in the 2009 Draft to the Atlanta Dream in exchange for Camille Little.
April 11, 2011: The Storm traded Jasmine Thomas and a first-round pick in the 2012 Draft to the Washington Mystics, and Erin Phillips and a third-round pick in the 2012 Draft to the Indiana Fever in exchange for Jacinta Monroe and Katie Smith from Washington, and a third-round pick in the 2012 Draft from Indiana.
All-Stars
2000: None
2001: Lauren Jackson
2002: Sue Bird, Lauren Jackson
2003: Sue Bird, Lauren Jackson
2004: Sue Bird
2005: Sue Bird, Lauren Jackson
2006: Sue Bird, Lauren Jackson
2007: Sue Bird, Lauren Jackson
2008: No All-Star Game
2009: Sue Bird, Swin Cash, Lauren Jackson
2010: Sue Bird, Swin Cash, Lauren Jackson
2011: Sue Bird, Swin Cash
Honors and awards
2002All-WNBA First Team: Sue Bird
2003Most Valuable Player: Lauren Jackson
2003All-WNBA First Team: Sue Bird
2003All-WNBA First Team: Lauren Jackson
2003Peak Performer (Scoring): Lauren Jackson
2004Finals MVP: Betty Lennox
2004All-WNBA First Team: Sue Bird
2004All-WNBA First Team: Lauren Jackson
2004Peak Performer (Scoring): Lauren Jackson
2005All-WNBA First Team: Sue Bird
2005All-WNBA First Team: Lauren Jackson
2005All-Defensive Second Team: Lauren Jackson
2006All-Decade Team: Sue Bird
2006All-Decade Team: Lauren Jackson
2006All-WNBA First Team: Lauren Jackson
2007Most Valuable Player: Lauren Jackson
2007All-WNBA First Team: Lauren Jackson
2007Defensive Player of the Year: Lauren Jackson
2007All-Defensive First Team: Lauren Jackson
2007Peak Performer (Scoring): Lauren Jackson
2007Peak Performer (Rebounds): Lauren Jackson
2008All-WNBA Second Team: Sue Bird
2008All-WNBA Second Team: Lauren Jackson
2008All-Defensive Second Team: Lauren Jackson
2009All-Star Game MVP: Swin Cash
2009All-WNBA First Team: Lauren Jackson
2009All-Defensive First Team: Lauren Jackson
2009All-Defensive First Team: Tanisha Wright
2009Peak Performer (Assists): Sue Bird
2010Most Valuable Player: Lauren Jackson
2010Finals MVP: Lauren Jackson
2010All-WNBA First Team: Lauren Jackson
2010All-WNBA Second Team: Sue Bird
2010All-Defensive First Team: Tanisha Wright
2010All-Defensive Second Team: Lauren Jackson
2010Coach of the Year: Brian Agler
2011All-Star Game MVP: Swin Cash
References
^wnba.com – WNBA Approves Sale of Seattle Storm to Local Owners – 2008-02-28
2011 Seattle Storm season
