Instant Takeaways: Storm Swept By Fire in Season Series
The Seattle Storm erased a double-digit first-half deficit but couldn’t roll it into a second straight victory in an 84-82 loss to the Portland Fire on Friday, Aug. 14, at Climate Pledge Arena.
Portland (14-20) was led by a season-high 20 points from Holly Winterburn off the bench, and the Fire also got 14 points each from starters Bridget Carleton, Megan DiLeo and Carla Leite.
Seattle (7-29) couldn’t roll its momentum from Monday’s win into another victory. Dominique Malonga had a rough shooting night, scoring nine points on 3-of-15 shooting. Awa Fam scored a team-high 20 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead the Storm.
Instant Takeaways: Storm Flush Sky, Snap Monstrous Skid
The Seattle Storm played with a lead most of the game, defeated the Chicago Sky 97-88 and avoided what would have been a season-worst 12-game losing streak on Monday, Aug. 10, at Climate Pledge Arena.
Seattle (7-28), despite being short-handed without Flau’jae Johnson, snapped a long losing streak that began on July 9. Dominique Malonga led the Storm with 26 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, two steals and three blocks — another dominant night for the team’s young star.
Natisha Hiedeman (18 points, nine assists) and Zia Cooke (16 points) also were major contributors in the Storm victory.
Chicago (12-21) took another hit in its pursuit to get back in the playoff hunt. The Sky have lost three of its last four games and are seven games out from eighth place with 11 games remaining. DiJonai Carrington led the Sky with 26 points and five steals.
Instant Takeaways: Storm Fall to Liberty, Spoil Another Elite Malonga Performance
The New York Liberty spoiled Dominique Malonga’s second-career 30-point game in a 92-86 loss for the Seattle Storm on Wednesday, Aug. 5, at the Barclays Center.
Malonga scored 31 points and added 10 rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block to lead Seattle (6-27), which dropped its 10th straight game. No other player scored more than 13 for the Storm.
New York (19-13), which was led by 28 points and eight rebounds from Breanna Stewart, has won six of its last seven games. Jonquel Jones also posted a monster game with 14 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists and two blocks.
Even with a lineup shift that put Ezi Magbegor back in the starting lineup, momentum hasn’t shifted for the Storm in the last two games. Their last victory came nearly a month ago on July 6.
Instant Takeaways: Seattle Storm Lose Ninth Straight With Loss to Liberty
The Seattle Storm’s (6-26) losing streak was extended to nine games on Monday, as it fell 95-83 to the New York Liberty (18-13) at the Barclays Center.
It was a rough start for the Storm, and the Liberty went on several hot streaks throughout the game to nullify chances of a comeback. But Seattle managed to keep things competitive for the most part, primarily on the backs of Flau’jae Johnson, Natisha Hiedeman, and Dominique Malonga. Another New York run late in the third quarter proved to be the difference, as that momentum was enough to put the Storm away for good.
What plagued Seattle this time?
Will Ezi Magbegor Be More of a Factor For Storm to Conclude Season?
Ezi Magbegor is the Seattle Storm’s longest-tenured player and the fifth-highest-paid player in the WNBA by average annual value ($1.25 million). She’s the last remaining player on the roster from the 2020 championship-winning team and has been one of the league's best defensive anchors since 2022.
Magbegor is now in her seventh season, and it’s been the roughest of her career. She entered the 2026 season with a foot injury that held her out half the season. A facial fracture in her fourth game back knocked her out for another stretch.
The veteran made her return in the Storm’s 98-89 loss to the Atlanta Dream on July 31. Magbegor logged 12 points, one rebound, one assist and two steals — the most she’s scored in a WNBA game in nearly a year.
Instant Takeaways: Storm Drop 8th in a Row vs. Dream
The Seattle Storm made multiple late-game surges to try and erase their deficit, but it wasn’t quite enough in a 98-89 loss to the Atlanta Dream on Friday, July 31, at the Gateway Center.
Natisha Hiedeman led Seattle (6-25) with 23 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals — one game separated from her career-best night against the Indiana Fever. Dominique Malonga posted 16 points and 13 rebounds on an efficient 8-of-10 shooting.
Seattle lost its eighth straight game and is nearing elimination from playoff contention.
Atlanta (18-10) was led by 21 points, 13 rebounds and two steals from Angel Reese. Naz Hillmon was the Dream’s second-leading scorer with 18 points.
4 End-of-Season Goals For Storm After All-Star Break
The Seattle Storm are 6-23 overall and in last place in the WNBA standings at the All-Star break. With 15 games remaining in the season, it’s clear that the Storm are no longer vying for a postseason berth and are instead trying to maximize the development of their young stars.
Dominique Malonga, the 2025 No. 2 overall pick, has taken a huge step from her rookie season and is the Storm’s lone representative in Saturday’s All-Star Game. Rookie top-8 picks Awa Fam and Flau’jae Johnson have shown glimpses of greatness, but haven’t found enough consistency to regularly fuel Seattle to victories.
So, entering the final stretch of the 2026 season, what are some primary goals for the Storm as they begin to look to 2027?
Instant Takeaways: Storm Set Multiple Season Lows in Loss To Dream
The turnover-prone Seattle Storm were unable to keep their winning ways on the road in an 89-78 loss to the Atlanta Dream on Thursday, July 9, at the Gateway Center.
Atlanta (13-9) snapped its five-game losing skid with the victory over Seattle (6-18), who are now an even 3-3 over their last six games. The Dream also got even in the season series after the Storm won the first matchup, 105-90, on June 27.
Allisha Gray had a game-high 22 points for the Dream, but Rhyne Howard (19 points), Angel Reese (18) and Jordin Canada (14) also scored in double figures. Reese logged a double-double with 11 rebounds.
The Storm were led by Natisha Hiedeman’s 20 points. Dominique Malonga added 15 points and nine rebounds, followed by Flau’jae Johnson’s 14 points.
Mid-Season Check-in: Can Storm Still Make Playoff Push in Second Half?
The Seattle Storm are midway through their first rebuilding season after a mass exodus of talent. That major roster turnover also led to talent acquisition, but the lineup is filled with young, rising players who are still finding their footing in the WNBA.
At 5-17 overall, the Storm are exactly where many thought they would be in 2026. Sure, they have an emerging Dominique Malonga in her second season and exciting pieces around her, but there’s currently too much weight on the 20-year-old’s shoulders for Seattle to find consistent success.
Injuries haven’t helped. Malonga missed eight games from mid-May to early June, Ezi Magbegor has only recently returned and played the last two games, and Jordan Horston has missed five total games.
Expectations were low heading into the season, but hopes for the future were high. That continues to be the sentiment at this point in the campaign. But is there any chance the Storm could make a late-season run and push for a playoff berth?
Instant Takeaways: Storm Post Worst Offensive Game of 2026 in Loss to Fire
A few games removed from a potential resurgence, the Seattle Storm dropped back into being one game out of last place in the entire WNBA following a 77-72 loss to the Portland Fire on Saturday, July 4, at Climate Pledge Arena.
Seattle (5-17), after getting two wins against top teams last week, has fallen back into the low-efficiency scoring and poor defense that made them one of the worst teams in the league this season. The spark is flickering out after it once began to burn brighter than ever before.
Portland (9-12) snapped a three-game skid with the win. Their last win before Saturday was against the Storm on June 17 — highlighting how, like against the Mercury, the Storm just matchup horribly against specific squads.
Regardless, the Storm are 0-2 in their four total matchups against the Fire, with two yet to be played. If they can get back on track, Seattle could split the series later in the campaign.
Instant Takeaways: Magbegor’s Return Spoiled By Physical Mercury
Ezi Magbegor’s first game of the season was spoiled by the Phoenix Mercury in a 90-67 loss for the Seattle Storm on Thursday, July 2, at the Mortgage Matchup Center.
Seattle (5-16) had its two-game win streak snapped after not playing for five days. Magbegor came off the bench in her first game action in nearly five months. Phoenix (8-13) earned a clean sweep of the season series against the Storm and won its third-straight game.
Nothing went right for the Storm right out of the gate. They couldn’t outmuscle a physical Mercury team once again, and they were dominated in almost every phase of the game.
Storm Activate Awa Fam, Sign Joyner Holmes to Hardship Contract
The Seattle Storm made two moves ahead of their second straight bout with the Connecticut Sun on Friday, May 22, at Climate Pledge Arena.
Seattle activated rookie No. 3 overall pick Awa Fam now that she has joined the team and also signed forward Joyner Holmes to a hardship contract on Friday.
The Storm have been without Ezi Magbegor since the season began, and Dominique Malonga has now missed two games due to a concussion. Her status for Friday’s game against the Sun is uncertain, but the signing of Holmes suggests she will still be on the sidelines.
Storm Desperately Need Champion Awa Fam Ready to Roll
Awa Fam, the Seattle Storm’s No. 3 overall pick in this year’s WNBA Draft, will be joining her new team as a champion.
Fam and Valencia, the team she has played for in Spain since 2021, won the Liga Feminina Endesa Championship on Sunday, May 17, defeating Casademont Zaragoza 68-67 on a buzzer-beater layup.
It wasn’t her best game, but Fam totaled six points on two 3-pointers and added four rebounds, one assist and a steal.
Valencia’s season is what has been keeping Fam, 19, from joining the Storm, who are currently 1-2 ahead of Sunday’s matchup with the Indiana Fever (1-2). Fam will still have to get to Seattle and potentially get a short rest before she can get on the court for the Storm this season.
What to Watch For in Storm’s Preseason Finale vs. Portland Fire
Almost nothing is the same about the Seattle Storm in 2026, and on Saturday, we saw for the first time how many of the new pieces fared against another WNBA team.
It was an especially young lineup for the Storm, with eight players 25 or younger playing big minutes in the team's 78-76 loss to the Golden State Valkyries to begin the preseason.
Even in a loss, there were many positives for the Storm’s new additions. Rookie No. 8 overall pick Flau’jae Johnson, No. 14 pick Taina Mair, and free-agent signings Jade Melbourne and Rennia Davis stood out.
Storm Center Ezi Magbegor Out At Least 6-8 Weeks
The WNBA regular season is less than a month away, and it appears the Seattle Storm will be without center Ezi Magbegor — their highest-paid player — to begin the campaign.
Magbegor is currently sidelined with a right foot injury suffered while playing for Australia during the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers in mid-March, the team announced on Monday, April 20. Her timetable for a return is unclear, but “updates on her progress will be made available in 6-8 weeks.”
Too-Early Storm Starting Lineup Projection For 2026 Season
The Seattle Storm more than likely have their roster set for training camp after a whirlwind 10 days that included the free agency, the WNBA Draft and the post-draft signing period, where the team brought in training camp tryout players.
Currently, the Storm’s roster is at 19 players. Only eight of those players were with the team at all in 2025, and only five actually played regular-season minutes for Seattle.
Training camp begins on Sunday, April 19, before the Storm play their first preseason game on Saturday, April 25, on the road at the Golden State Valkyries.
Storm Rumble Into the Future with Bold 2026 WNBA Draft
The Seattle Storm have found a direction after a frenzied few days of free agency.
The four-time WNBA champions held the No. 3 overall pick after going 23-21 last season with stars Nneka Ogwumike, Skylar Diggins and Gabby Williams leading the way. All three players departed the Emerald City in the past few days, leaving 2026 No. 2 overall pick Dominique Malonga and recently re-signed All-Defensive center Ezi Magbegor to build around.
The Storm watched top guards like No. 1 pick Azzi Fudd and No. 2 pick Olivia Miles fly off the board before taking Spanish teen star Awa Fam, who many experts projected to go first, at No. 3. With the 14th pick, Seattle took Duke point guard Taina Mair before selecting TCU’s Marta Suárez at No. 16.
But moments later, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert shocked viewers by announcing that Seattle had traded Suárez and a 2028 second-rounder for the night’s No. 8 pick, LSU star Flau’jae Johnson.
Storm Free Agency Recap: Good, Bad and Ugly From Transformational Signing Period
It’s hard to say the dust has settled on an expectedly tumultuous free agency period for the Seattle Storm, especially with the team rolling straight into a four-pick menu in Monday’s WNBA Draft.
The Storm are going to look very different just one year after a disappointing 23-21 finish in 2025 that saw them eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Las Vegas Aces for the second straight season.
Seattle Storm Free Agency Tracker: Signings, Departures and Rumors
As expected, WNBA free agency began this week and quickly picked up steam once it started rolling. The Seattle Storm are already looking at making an entirely new team heading into the 2026 season.
Veterans are on their way out, and it remains to be seen how much interest the team will get from unrestricted free agents. More than two-thirds of the WNBA players are free agents, and a lot of money will be moving around under the new CBA.
Teams have to act fast ahead of the WNBA Draft on Monday, April 13, to see how their rosters will look before making rookie selections.
Storm Core Ezi Magbegor, Extend Reserved Qualifying Offers to 2 Others
The Seattle Storm made a trio of qualifying offers on Tuesday as they attempt to retain Ezi Magbegor, Mackenzie Holmes and Zia Cooke, per the WNBA’s transaction wire.
Seattle extended a core qualifying offer to Magbegor, which is a one-year, fully guaranteed deal valued at the new supermax figure of $1.4 million. It does not guarantee Magbegor will sign for that amount, but it does give Seattle exclusive negotiating rights.
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