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91-820: The Mercury have qualified for the WNBA Playoffs in fifteen of its twenty-four years in Phoenix. In 1998 , 2007 , 2009 , 2014 , and 2021 the Mercury went to the WNBA Finals ; they lost to Houston in 1998, but won the title in 2007, 2009, and 2014 over Detroit , Indiana , and Chicago respectively. The franchise has been home to players such as former UConn Diana Taurasi , Rutgers grad Cappie Pondexter , former Temple power forward Candice Dupree , former Baylor center Brittney Griner , and Australian guard Penny Taylor . In February 2023, Mat Ishbia ,

182-488: A 10–5 record. Ultimately, they recovered to gain the third seed in the 2011 WNBA Playoffs , and upset the Seattle Storm in the opening round, closing an 18-point deficit to win on Seattle's home floor, allowing the Mercury to reach its third straight conference finals. Unfortunately, for the team, they came up short against the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx , losing in two games. Coming off the 2012 WNBA season in which

273-624: A best-of-five series. Despite the departure of some teams later on, this format continued until 2015. From 2016-2021, a new format was introduced, featuring a stepladder -like system. In this format, the first- and second-seeded teams entered the tournament at the Semifinals, third and fourth places started at the Second Round, and the remaining four began at the First Round. The format also eliminated conference seeding, instead having

364-482: A branding update that eliminated the use of red. The team logos retained the same overall design, but used the simplified color scheme. An alternate logo, which placed the S from the Storm wordmark on a green oval, was used on the team's jerseys on and off until 2020 in place of the more complicated primary mark. In March 2021, the team released an entirely new logo and updated color scheme. The Space Needle, depicted in

455-533: A bye for the first round. There were 12 teams in the league. For the playoffs, the three teams with the best record in each conference were seeded one to three. The top seeded team in each conference got a bye for the first round. There were 10 teams in the league. For the playoffs, the four teams with the best record in the league were seeded one to four. Houston was switched to the Western Conference in 1998 so two Western Conference teams matched up in

546-478: A former Michigan State college basketball player, completed the acquisition of Phoenix Mercury from Robert Sarver . The team was among Sarver's several sports assets located in Arizona purchased by Ishbia. With a cast that included hall-of-famer Nancy Lieberman , and future hall-of-famers Michele Timms of Australia , and Jennifer Gillom , hyper-active star Bridget Pettis , and outspoken coach Cheryl Miller ,

637-484: A hard-fought series, the Mercury fell 2 games to 1 to the defending champion Houston Comets . In 1999, the Mercury missed the playoffs, posting a 15–17 record. In 2000, the Mercury finished 20–12, but got swept by the Los Angeles Sparks . The team descended into turmoil after the season, as coach Miller left and the original core group of players broke up, via retirement or trades, and the team stopped being

728-524: A left knee bone bruise, but came back for the playoffs , in which the Storm didn't lose a single game. The Storm closed out the top-ranked Las Vegas Aces in three games en route to their fourth championship, with Stewart again named Finals MVP. The Storm remained at Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett for the 2021 season with limited capacity due to COVID guidelines. In the 2021 season the Storm won

819-489: A new, more minimalist style, is interlinked with the ribs of a basketball and incorporates a small lightning bolt into the tower. The logo has a pointed shape, meant to evoke Mount Rainier . A sleeker modern font and the new color scheme of dark green, yellow, and bright green are used. Like several early WNBA teams, the Storm was owned by their NBA counterpart, the Seattle SuperSonics , and closely related to

910-570: A new, young dynamic tandem as the "Next Great Storm Duo" after Sue Bird and Lauren Jackson. This would lead the Storm back into playoff contention as they finished as the 6th seed with a 16-18 record under the league's new playoff format, but would lose to the Atlanta Dream in the first round elimination game. In the 2017 season, both Loyd and Stewart continued to get better and lead the Storm into playoff contention. Loyd averaged 17.7 ppg and Stewart 19.9 ppg. Stewart would become an all-star for

1001-458: A playoff contender. From 2001 to 2004, the Mercury were at the bottom of the WNBA. Fielding miserable teams, the Mercury were never competitive. The Mercury went through coach after coach, and nothing worked. During the lean years, the franchise remained in the news as forward Lisa Harrison would become a sex symbol. Playboy Magazine offered her money to pose in their magazine. She would decline

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1092-528: A rounded, stylized silhouette of the Space Needle , an iconic Seattle landmark, set against the backdrop of a green storm cloud. In dynamic font and fashion, the team name stretches in an angled rise from left to right. Pointed jags meant to evoke lightning bolts streak through the team name from right to left. A basketball orbits the Space Needle through the cloud. In January 2016, the team revealed

1183-573: A row with victories against the Dallas Wings and Connecticut Sun , giving Diana Taurasi a 13–0 record in winner-take-all elimination games in her career. In the semifinals, the Mercury came up short against the Seattle Storm in the decisive fifth game, giving Taurasi her first ever loss in a winner-take-all elimination game. In June 2009 the Mercury and WNBA announced a sponsorship agreement with identity theft protection service LifeLock to place that company's logo on their jerseys through

1274-405: A three-time league MVP. The Storm are four-time WNBA Champions, with victories in 2004 , 2010 , 2018 , and 2020 . They are one of two teams who have never lost a WNBA Finals, the defunct Houston Comets being the other. 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

1365-459: A tough Western Conference. The Mercury became the first team in WNBA history with the dubious honor of failing to qualify for the playoffs after winning the WNBA Finals the year before. However, a year later, the Mercury were back to what they were two years before. The Mercury clinched the top spot in the playoffs along with the number one seed in the Western Conference. The Mercury defeated

1456-666: A way to uniquely market the team. Following another change of ownership in 2006, the team was then sold to Force 10 Hoops LLC in 2008 when the Oklahoma City interests that owned the Sonics announced intentions to relocate the NBA club to Oklahoma City as the Thunder . Force 10 also retained the original colors. The January 2016 branding update changed the official team colors. Adopting a scheme similar to their former NBA brother team,

1547-536: Is composed of Seattle businesswomen Dawn Trudeau, Lisa Brummel , and Ginny Gilder , along with former player Sue Bird . The Storm have qualified for the WNBA Playoffs in 19 of their 25 seasons in Seattle. The franchise has been home to many high-quality players such as former UConn stars Sue Bird , Swin Cash , and Breanna Stewart ; 2004 Finals MVP Betty Lennox ; and Australian power forward Lauren Jackson ,

1638-506: The 2010 season , the Storm was 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

1729-850: The NBA prior to February 28, 2008, when the team was sold to Force 10 Hoops LLC. 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 to 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 ,

1820-620: The New York Liberty , and a month later, Valavanis shipped the #15 pick to the Mystics for Quanitra Hollingsworth and the #20 pick in the 2015 WNBA Draft. Valavanis also signed Australian forward Abby Bishop that month. Fast forward to April 2015, the month of the WNBA Draft, where Seattle now held the #1, #3, #20 and #26 picks. Days before the draft, Notre Dame guard Jewell Loyd and Minnesota center Amanda Zahui B. shook up

1911-604: The San Antonio Silver Stars in a closer series (Game 1: 102–100, Game 2: 98–92), advancing to the WNBA Finals for the first time in nine years. In the Finals, the Mercury faced the defending 2006 champions Detroit Shock . The two teams split the first two games in Detroit. Coming back home, the Mercury suffered a letdown in game 3, losing 88–83. Down 2–1, the Mercury had to win game 4 or lose. Game 4 came down to

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2002-484: The WNBA Finals MVP Award . All-star guard Cappie Pondexter was traded to the New York Liberty amid some controversy in the offseason; All-Star Candice Dupree joined the duo of Taurasi and Penny Taylor as the Mercury looked to repeat in 2010. It was not easy, however, as the Mercury faced a few bad losing streaks throughout the 2010 season. The team managed to finish 15–19, good for second place in

2093-668: The Washington State Legislature voted against public financing for a new arena. The sale was given unanimous approval from the WNBA Board of Governors on February 28. This kept the team in Seattle and disconnected it from the Sonics, who moved to Oklahoma City in July 2008. Force 10 Hoops later took over hosting of the Pac-12 Conference women's basketball tournament and other basketball events in

2184-578: The 2008 conference champion San Antonio Silver Stars in the first round, winning the very exciting series 2–1 after losing the first game on the road. The Mercury then defeated the Los Angeles Sparks in the conference finals, winning 2–1 in a series that ended Lisa Leslie's career. The Mercury then went on to beat the Indiana Fever 3–2 in the best of 5 series to capture the second title in their franchise history. Diana Taurasi captured

2275-642: The 2013 season, and the Storm played without a sponsor for two seasons, before signing a new uniform deal with Swedish Medical Center for the 2016 season. With Climate Pledge Arena to be closed during its renovation into a venue suitable for the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League , the Storm were forced to seek a temporary venue for their 2019 season. After considering two suburban venues, ShoWare Center in Kent and Angel of

2366-546: The 2013 season, making the Mercury among the first non-soccer franchises in the major leagues of North America to place a company logo on their uniforms. For the 2014 season and going forward, the Mercury will wear jerseys sponsored by Casino Arizona and Talking Stick Resort . (from Women's Basketball Hall of Fame) Currently, Mercury games are broadcast on Arizona's Family , a group of Phoenix television stations ( KPHO-TV , KTVK and KPHE-LD ) owned by Gray Television . KTVK will carry at least 13 Mercury games per season, with

2457-421: The 2015 WNBA season. For the 2014 WNBA season, Taurasi made just under the league maximum of $ 107,000. But she makes 15 times that - approximately $ 1.5 million - playing overseas. In 2016 , the WNBA switched to a playoff format involving single elimination games in the first two rounds. The eighth-seeded Mercury upset the Indiana Fever in the First Round and New York Liberty in the Second Round to reach

2548-610: The Finals will become a best-of-seven series , utilizing a 2–2–1–1–1 pattern similar to the NBA, with the higher seed hosting the first and second games, as well as the fifth and seventh games if necessary. Bold Series winner Bold Series winner Bold Series winner Note: Teams re-seeded after each round. Note: Teams re-seeded after each round. Note: Teams re-seeded after each round. Note: Teams re-seeded after second round and semi-finals. Note: Teams re-seeded after second round and semi-finals. Note: Teams re-seeded after second round and semi-finals. There were 12 teams in

2639-494: The Finals. The win made Anne Donovan the first female head coach in WNBA history to win the WNBA Championship. 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. Also, 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

2730-469: The Mercury quickly established itself as a major franchise. In the first WNBA season, the Mercury posted a 16–12 record and reached the first WNBA playoffs. The Mercury lost to the New York Liberty , though, in those playoffs. In 1998, the Mercury again qualified for the playoffs, posting a 19–11 record. The Mercury defeated the Cleveland Rockers to reach the WNBA Finals for the first time. In

2821-433: The Mercury's head coach prior to the 2006 season and brought his up-tempo style to Phoenix. Westhead was the first WNBA coach to have won a previous NBA championship (with Los Angeles Lakers in 1980 ). The Mercury also drafted Cappie Pondexter with the #2 overall selection in the 2006 WNBA Draft. The addition provided Taurasi with a solid #2 player. Westhead's run and gun offense quickly became The Mercury's trademark and

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2912-490: The Minnesota Lynx, 84-74, and then lost in the second round to the Los Angeles Sparks, 92-69. The 2020 WNBA season was atypical, played entirely inside Bradenton, Florida 's IMG Academy , dubbed the "wubble", the WNBA's version of the NBA's Bubble. The Storm entered the wubble with Bird and Stewart back, but without head coach Dan Hughes, whose cancer diagnosis made him a health risk. Bird missed several games with

3003-469: 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

3094-630: The Phoenix Mercury franchise finished with the second worst record in the WNBA, a 7–27 mark, Phoenix received the 2013 WNBA draft lottery and secured the top overall pick. Once the 2013 WNBA draft arrived in April 2013, the Mercury used the top overall pick on two time Women's College Basketball Wooden award winner Brittney Griner . However, the Mercury lost to the Lynx in the Conference round of

3185-463: The Semifinals. However, they lost the Semifinals to the Minnesota Lynx . In 2017 , the Mercury once again sailed through the first two rounds of the playoffs, winning their games against the Seattle Storm and Connecticut Sun . Again, they lost in the Semifinals, this time to the Los Angeles Sparks . 2018 saw the Mercury win both single-elimination playoff games for the third year in

3276-456: The Storm announced that they would play their 2008 WNBA season in Seattle at KeyArena ; the team had a lease at KeyArena through the end of the 2008 season. On January 8, 2008, Bennett sold the team to a group of four Seattle women called Force 10 Hoops, LLC for $ 10 million. The four-person ownership group had formed in 2006 and began negotiations with Bennett in February 2007 after

3367-551: The Storm became Seattle's most successful pro sports team by that measure. In June 2011, President of the United States Barack Obama invited the 2010 WNBA champion Seattle Storm to the White House. He stated that the franchise provided a good example for young girls with big dreams. He praised the Storm for the community service they perform and stated that being champions did not end when they step off

3458-480: The Storm finished 26-8 with the number 1 seed headed into the WNBA Playoffs. They would receive a double-bye to the semi-finals. Stewart who averaged 20.0 ppg and 8.8 RPG won the 2018 Most Valuable Player award. They faced the Phoenix Mercury in the semi-finals where Stewart averaged 24.0 ppg and Loyd added 11.0 ppg. They would defeat the Mercury in a hard-fought five-game series, advancing to the WNBA Finals for

3549-522: The WNBA Finals. Seattle Storm The Seattle Storm are an American professional basketball team based in Seattle . The Storm competes in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference . The team was founded by Ginger Ackerley and her husband Barry ahead of the 2000 season . The team is currently owned by Force 10 Hoops LLC, which

3640-437: The WNBA playoffs, the top eight teams in the regular season – regardless of conference – participate in a single-elimination tournament system. The eight teams are seeded by their regular season records, with the higher seeded team (or the team with the better record) in each series given homecourt advantage. Round One is a best-of-three series , played with a homecourt pattern of 2–1 (the higher seed hosts games 1 and 2, while

3731-542: The WNBA requires that all games be played in air-conditioned venues, portable air conditioning units were used during Storm games. The team later announced that five of its 17 regular-season home games in 2019, including the home opener, would be at Angel of the Winds Arena. The 2020 season saw the Storm play their games in Bradenton, Florida , due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Storm's training facility from 2008 to 2008

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3822-464: The Western Conference, posting their best record in franchise history at 23–11, as well as clinching the #1 seed. The Mercury set a record by averaging 89.0 points in a season during 2007. In their first playoffs since 2000, the Mercury made quick work of the Seattle Storm in the first round, blowing them out in two games (Game 1: 101–84, Game 2: 95–89). In the Western Finals, the Mercury swept

3913-514: The Western Conference. Phoenix swept San Antonio in the first round of the Playoffs, but lost to the eventual champion Seattle Storm in the conference finals. After a hectic offseason for Diana Taurasi , most of the Mercury team was rested and ready to play. The team started the 2011 season with a surprising 0–3 record, but flew back into playoff contention, entering the All-Star break with

4004-657: The Winds Arena in Everett , the team announced in August 2018 that its primary home in 2019 would be in the city of Seattle at the University of Washington 's Alaska Airlines Arena . While the arena was the Storm's primary home during the renovation, there was no guarantee of its availability for Storm playoff games, and some home games were planned to be played at other venues in the region, such as Tacoma Dome , if necessary. Since Washington's arena lacks air conditioning, and

4095-627: 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. 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,

4186-559: The city. In 2018, the company became the ticketing and service operator of Seattle Reign FC of the National Women's Soccer League and a consultant for the Seattle Seawolves of Major League Rugby . 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. The Bing sponsorship ended after

4277-500: The court. The Storm presented the President with a championship ring. With the same lineup as the previous year, the Storm had much expectation for the 2011 WNBA season . But right in the second round a two-year home invincibility was broken by the Minnesota Lynx , who even left the Storm scoreless for the first seven minutes. Injuries hit multiple players, especially Lauren Jackson, who had to undergo hip surgery and missed most of

4368-532: The draft order, both forgoing NCAA eligibility and declaring for the WNBA Draft. On April 16, 2015, Seattle drafted Jewell Loyd #1, UCONN sharpshooter Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis #3, Vicky McIntyre #20 and Nneka Enemkpali #26 in the 2015 WNBA Draft. In the 2015 WNBA season, despite missing out on the playoffs with a 10-24 record, the number-one drafted Jewell Loyd would win the Rookie of the Year Award . After having

4459-484: The entire 2019 season. Four days later, head coach Dan Hughes was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in his colon; he had it removed in May and missed the entire season, with assistant Gary Kloppenburg taking over in an interim role Later that month, after the Storm finished their preseason schedule, it was announced that Bird would have to undergo knee surgery, sidelining her too for the year. With Bird out, Canada stepped into

4550-415: The facility opened in April 2024. ZGF Architects designed the with a women-led team and Sellen Construction was the general contractor for the project. The Seattle Storm Center for Basketball Performance serves as the team's headquarters and training facility. It comprises a two-story building with 53,000 square feet (4,900 m ) of space with two full-size basketball courts and two half-courts on

4641-511: The final seconds, but the Mercury edged out the Shock 77–76, with Cappie Pondexter scoring 26 points, and forced a Game 5 in Detroit. In Game 5, Phoenix won by a score of 108–92. Penny Taylor scored a game high 30 points in Game 5, and went 18-for-18 from the line. The Mercury won the series and their first championship with a 108–92 Game 5 victory, becoming the first WNBA team to win a championship on

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4732-422: The first time in her career and was one of two all-stars representing the Storm in the 2017 WNBA All-Star Game along with Sue Bird. The Storm finished as the 8th seed with a 15-19 record but would lose yet again in the first round elimination game by the Phoenix Mercury. In the 2018 season, the Storm would elevate from a mediocre playoff team to a title contender. In the offseason, they made some slight changes to

4823-499: The first time since 2010. In the Finals, the Storm would sweep their opponent, the Washington Mystics, winning their first championship in eight years, Stewart was named Finals MVP. Even before the season started, 2019 was a year defined by health issues for the Storm. On April 15, Stewart ruptured her Achilles tendon playing in a Euroleague game for Dynamo Kursk when she collided with Brittney Griner , putting her out for

4914-420: The following procedures are followed: The playoff format has changed throughout the years ever since the league's establishment. In the league's first two seasons, 1997 and 1998, only the top four teams overall advanced to the playoffs, which comprised only two rounds. In 1997, only a single game was played in all matches. In 1998, each match became a best-of-three series. The homecourt pattern for best-of-three

5005-402: The franchise would soon set new league records for points scored. The 2006 season was a positive one for the Mercury, as they posted a winning record for the first time since 2000, at 18–16. The Mercury competed for the playoffs all year, but fell just short of a postseason berth. As the 2007 season came, the Mercury were poised and hungry for a deep playoff run. The Mercury would run away with

5096-481: The inaugural WNBA Commissioner's Cup after defeating the Connecticut Sun 79-57 in the championship game. The Storm moved to their new home at Climate Pledge Arena for the 2022 season and played their regular season game there on May 6, 2022. Sue Bird announced that she would retire at the end of the season and drew a franchise record crowd of 18,100 spectators for her last regular season game. The record

5187-404: The league. For the playoffs, the four teams with the best record in each conference were seeded one to four. There were 12 teams in the league. For the playoffs, the four teams with the best record in each conference were seeded one to four. There were 12 teams in the league. For the playoffs, the four teams with the best record in each conference were seeded one to four. There were 12 teams in

5278-405: The league. For the playoffs, the four teams with the best record in each conference were seeded one to four. There were 12 teams in the league. For the playoffs, the four teams with the best record in each conference were seeded one to four. Starting in 2010, the first two rounds changed to a 1-1-1 format, with the higher-seeded team hosting games 1 & 3. There were 13 teams in the league. For

5369-424: The league. For the playoffs, the four teams with the best record in each conference were seeded one to four. There were 16 teams in the league. For the playoffs, the four teams with the best record in each conference were seeded one to four. There were 12 teams in the league. For the playoffs, the three teams with the best record in each conference were seeded one to three. The top seeded team in each conference got

5460-404: The league. For the playoffs, the four teams with the best record in each conference were seeded one to four. There were 16 teams in the league. For the playoffs, the four teams with the best record in each conference were seeded one to four. There were 16 teams in the league. For the playoffs, the four teams with the best record in each conference were seeded one to four. There were 16 teams in

5551-476: The lower level and office spaces, a gymnasium, kitchen, and other facilities on the upper level. A rooftop solar array is also planned as part of the $ 64 million project. It is the first dedicated training facility built for a WNBA team; the Las Vegas Aces' headquarters opened in 2022 in a renovated space. In 2022, Amazon Prime Video announced a landmark new deal with the Seattle Storm, becoming

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5642-435: The lower seed hosts game 3, if necessary). The Semifinals and Finals are both best-of-five , played with a homecourt pattern of 2–2–1 (the higher seed hosts games 1, 2, and 5, while the lower seed hosts games 3 and 4). Beginning in 2025 the WNBA finals will expand to Best of 7 and the first round will change to a 1-1-1 format (with games 1 and 3 being hosted by the higher seed and game 2 by the lower seed) In case of ties,

5733-404: The mid-1980s, but by 2000 it was free for the WNBA to take ownership. The team had planned a formal announcement, along with a presentation of the logo and official team colors, at a January 2000 gala event for the inaugural season ticket holders. However, a Miami newspaper revealed the name two weeks early while announcing all four of that season's expansion franchises. The original logo featured

5824-481: 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 were the sister team of the Seattle SuperSonics of

5915-502: The offer. After a horrible 2003 season, in which the Mercury posted an 8–26 record, the Mercury won the #1 overall choice in the 2004 WNBA Draft, and select coveted former UConn star Diana Taurasi . Taurasi went on to win the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award in the 2004 season, as the Mercury posted a better 17–17 record. The Mercury posted a 16–18 record in 2005, missing the playoffs again. Former NBA coach Paul Westhead became

6006-399: The official streaming service of the Storm, and one of the first streamers to hold local broadcast rights with a WNBA team. Approximately 30 Storm games will be available to Prime Video customers throughout Washington state. Currently, the broadcast rights for Storm games are held by KCPQ or KZJO . Amazon Prime also streams games for viewers in the state of Washington . Broadcasters for

6097-470: 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. 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

6188-627: The playoffs since 2003. Following seven-year head coach & GM Brian Agler 's hiring in Los Angeles, the Storm elevated President Alisha Valavanis to President & GM, and two weeks later, hired Jenny Boucek as the fourth head coach in franchise history. Valavanis and Boucek promptly got to work, trading Shekinna Stricklen and Camille Little to the Connecticut Sun for the #3 and #15 2015 WNBA draft picks, along with Renee Montgomery . Storm free agent Tanisha Wright signed with

6279-470: 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

6370-543: 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

6461-482: The playoffs, the four teams with the best record in each conference were seeded one to four. There were 13 teams in the league. For the playoffs, the four teams with the best record in each conference were seeded one to four, this was also the first season where the WNBA finals was expanded to a best-of-5 game series. There were 13 teams in the league. For the playoffs, the four teams with the best record in each conference were seeded one to four. There were 14 teams in

6552-404: The playoffs, the four teams with the best record in each conference were seeded one to four. There were 14 teams in the league. For the playoffs, the four teams with the best record in each conference were seeded one to four. There were 13 teams in the league. For the playoffs, the four teams with the best record in each conference were seeded one to four. There were 14 teams in the league. For

6643-455: The playoffs. While the Storm managed to force a game 3 by winning in the KeyArena at double overtime, a last-second attempt by Jackson went off the rim and the Lynx took the series-winning by just one point, 73-72. After losing in the first round of the 2013 playoffs to the Lynx following a .500 regular season, the Storm missed the playoffs in 2014. This was the first time the Storm missed

6734-476: The playoffs. The following season the Mercury under the guidance of new coach Sandy Brondello went on to set an all time WNBA record for wins in a season, with 29, and breezed through the 2014 playoffs to claim their 3rd WNBA Championship. On February 3, 2015, Diana Taurasi announced that she would sit out the 2015 WNBA season at the request of her Russian Premier League team, UMMC Ekaterinburg. The team offered Taurasi to pay her more than her WNBA salary to skip

6825-402: The remaining games on KPHE. Some Mercury games are broadcast nationally on ESPN , ESPN2 , Ion Television , CBS , CBS Sports Network and ABC . WNBA Playoffs The WNBA playoffs is an elimination tournament among 8 teams in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), ultimately deciding the final two teams who will play in the WNBA Finals . In the current format of

6916-473: The road. Cappie Pondexter was named the WNBA Finals MVP, and averaged 22.0 points and 5.6 assists in the series. On November 7, 2007, The Mercury announced the hiring of Corey Gaines as head coach to replace the departing Paul Westhead . In 2008, the Mercury started slowly and never really found a groove, finishing the season with a disappointing record of 16–18, well out of the playoff picture in

7007-454: The roster. They traded for Natasha Howard and drafted Jordin Canada . Bird, Loyd, and Stewart were all voted into the 2018 WNBA All-Star Game , creating a "big three" on the Storm's roster. Bird also broke records in 2018 by becoming the franchise leader in scoring and the league's all-time regular-season assists leader. With Bird's leadership and the continued development of Loyd and Stewart,

7098-461: The season. The regular starting five resumed play only in the last five games, but Sue Bird and Swin Cash kept the Storm competitive, finishing second in the WNBA with 21 wins and 13 losses. On the playoffs, a Mercury buzzer beater at the KeyArena eliminated the Storm in round 1. In 2012, with Jackson absent for the early season training with the Australia national team and injuries to most of

7189-457: The starting point guard role, finishing 2019 third in the WNBA in assists per game (5.5) and second in steals per game (2.3). Meanwhile, without Stewart and with Loyd missing seven games with an injury of her own, Howard became the focal point of the Seattle offense, scoring a career-high 18.1 points per game. The shorthanded Storm finished the season 18-16, earning the No. 6 seed in the 2019 WNBA playoffs . Seattle won its first-round matchup against

7280-489: The team finished with a 6–26 record. The low record, however, allowed the Storm to draft a 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,

7371-501: 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. The 2004 Storm posted a then franchise-best 20–14 record. In

7462-458: The team, including Bird, only Camille Little and Katie Smith played on all the games of the regular season. Upon her return, Jackson missed some games due to a hamstring injury but reached 6,000 points on her WNBA career playing against the San Antonio Silver Stars . The 16-18 record put the Storm fourth in the West, facing the Lynx, who posted the league's best record during the regular season, in

7553-498: The team. Taking their cue from the Sonics' team colors at the time, known colloquially as the "wine and pine" era of the team, the Storm's original team colors were pine green, maroon red, bronze, and white. When a new ownership group led by Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz purchased the Sonics and Storm in 2001, the NBA club returned to the traditional green-and-golden yellow color scheme that the team had used for its first 28 years of existence. The Storm, however, retained their colors as

7644-545: 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,

7735-412: The top 8 teams in the league (regardless of conference) playing a three-round series for the championship. The first round is a best-of-three series with the higher seed hosting both of the first two games, while the Semifinals and Finals remain a best-of-five series. The higher seed hosts the first, second, and (if necessary) fifth games. Beginning in 2025, Round One will switch back to a 1–1–1 pattern, and

7826-402: The top eight teams overall advance. The First and Second Rounds were only a single game, with the winning team immediately advancing to the next round. The Semifinals and Finals were both best-of-five series. After each round, the lower surviving seed faced the higher seed in the next round, while the higher surviving seed faced the lower seed. The current format was adopted in 2022 and features

7917-465: The updated colors were thunder green, a less saturated shade than before, and lightning yellow. White and thunder gray featured as accent colors. The new 2021 design keeps the 2016–2020 colors of lightning yellow and dark thunder green and replaces gray with the bright bolt green. Following disagreements between the Basketball Club of Seattle (the former owners of the Sonics and Storm) and

8008-508: The worst record in the WNBA, the Storm ended up with the first overall pick again using it to select Breanna Stewart from the University of Connecticut. In the 2016 WNBA season, Stewart immediately emerged as one of the young rising stars in the league, winning Rookie of the Year, averaged an impressive 18.9 ppg and broke the record for most defensive rebounds in a regular season. Loyd would statistically improve, averaging 16.5 ppg, birthing

8099-477: Was 1–1–1. As expansion began, the playoff format accommodated more teams. 1999 featured six teams, with the top three teams from each conference advancing to the playoffs, and the top seed of each conference getting a bye into the Conference Finals. The following season, it was expanded to eight teams with the top four teams from each conference advancing to the playoffs. In 2005, the WNBA Finals became

8190-443: Was broken during a regular season win against the Indiana Fever on May 22, 2024, with 18,343 in attendance. The Storm's name was chosen because of Seattle's reputation as a rainy city, as well as the aggressive nature implicit in the name. Though the team conducted an exhaustive trademark search for options, Storm was always their preferred choice. The name had once been trademarked by an amateur soccer club, FC Seattle Storm, in

8281-819: Was the Furtado Center, which it shared with the SuperSonics and was located adjacent to the Seattle Center campus. After the SuperSonics relocated, the Furtado Center was demolished and displaced the Storm, who moved to the Royal Brougham Pavilion at Seattle Pacific University . The team announced plans for a dedicated training facility in the Interbay neighborhood in May 2022, pending city approval. Construction began in March 2023 and

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