What I learned from the Storm's recent press conferences

Discussing what stood out the most from the team's three recent press conferences.

Over the past couple of weeks, the Seattle Storm have held individual press conferences with their core franchise players - Jewell Loyd, Breanna Stewart, and most recently Sue Bird.

I wanted to write about what stood out the most to me with each of these three press conferences as the team gears up for the 2022 season. I’ve also included the press conferences. You can find them on the Storm’s YouTube channel as well.

Jewell Loyd’s Press Conference

• Having Jewell back was a top priority - “It goes without saying but Jewell is one of the premier players of our league and is playing at an elite level. She is one of the cornerstones - basketball-wise - but also just for our organization and in the community…I can’t say it enough how important Jewell is to our franchise, how much of a priority it was to keep her here with us in Seattle” Storm General Manager Talisa Rhea.

• Jewell’s priority was signing with a team that had the best chance to win a championship. And she was really excited that they were able to bring back their Big 3 of (Jewell, Stewie, and Sue).

• There were internal discussions within the front office on who to use the core tag on and ultimately they chose Jewell. They felt really comfortable with Jewell. They trusted the relationship they had with Jewell. I think the uncertainty with Stewart due to the prioritization clause may have also played a role in the team choosing Jewell for the core tag.

• Jewell Loyd believes she hasn’t even hit her peak yet. Loyd enters her 8th season in the WNBA this year and was named one of the 5 best players in the league by being on the All-WNBA First Team.

• Talisa Rhea spoke to me about juggling between winning now and building for the future in 2023 and 2024. She mentioned signing multi-year contracts helps, building pieces around their core, find contracts that allow them good (salary cap) flexibility.

• Defense, Rebounding, Edge, and Physicality were the main traits they wanted to improve on and bring to the roster for the 2022 season with the additions of Gabby Williams and Briann January.

• Jewell’s relationship with Coach Noelle Quinn is very meaningful. It’s part of what has made the organization special because they support women, women of color, and put them in positions of leadership and power.

• During free agency talking with teams and other players, Jewell was really surprised to find out so many others really wanted to play with her. It was something she didn’t think about much prior to this free agency period.

• Why Seattle? - Jewell talked about her growing up in Seattle (first time living alone), her best friends (Stewie and Sue) are in Seattle, and that she really believes in Noelle Quinn, Coach Quinn’s vision for the future, and wants to be a part of that.

Breanna Stewart’s Press Conference

• Stewart started her press conference off emphasizing that Seattle is home for her, it’s where her family has been made, and the organization itself is a part of her family.

• Stewart also talked about how the Storm franchise is not just one of the best teams in the WNBA but also one of the best organizations when it comes to uplifting women and how that is also very important to her.

• She wanted to dip her toe in the water in free agency to get that full experience. She also said she’d be doing a disservice to herself and other WNBA players if she wasn’t exploring free agency to the full effect. Stewart once again referenced New York but then called Seattle home again in that same sentence which really stood out to me.

• The Prioritization Clause was the primary factor in Stewart only signing a one-year deal with Seattle. Stewart expressed her frustration with the Prioritization Clause having a negative impact on players’ ability to earn more money overseas. By only signing the one-year deal it gives her more flexibility in 2023.

• General Manager Talisa Rhea emphasized the organization’s relationship with Breanna Stewart over the past several years is what the team was banking on and not just the 2-3 week window of free agency. Similar to Loyd, they believed that bond and relationship would help them get a deal done in Seattle.

• Surprisingly, Rhea admitted to the media they didn’t have a Plan B if Stewart had signed with another WNBA team. That could be looked at from a couple of different viewpoints, A) The organization was so confident that Stewart would be back from the relationship they have with her it was never a legit concern. Or B) Not having a backup plan could be perceived as the organization not doing its due diligence when it comes to planning out the future.

• I do believe it’s more of scenario A where the team was so confident that Stewart would be back they didn’t need a backup plan. For example, I think it’s fair to say the Storm weren’t worried about Sue Bird signing with a different WNBA team this off-season (once she announced she’d return for another season) because she has played her entire career in Seattle and wouldn’t leave at this point. There’s a good chance they were just as confident with Stewart coming back to Seattle as they were Bird. This also would explain why they didn’t use the core tag on Stewart.

• Stewart emphasized how prioritization is going to have a huge impact on the WNBA over the next couple of seasons. She talked about how they’re trying to eliminate players’ income overseas without supplementing that loss of income back in the states. She came off as a bit frustrated with the prioritization clause.

• Very grateful to be playing with Sue Bird and also that they get this opportunity this season which is something that was taken away from them last season when Stewie got hurt and missed the final few games. Stewart talked about how she struggled with the decision to not play, the risk was too high (of severe injury) but she didn’t know if she’d ever get to play with Sue again.

Sue Bird’s Press Conference

(If the link doesn’t do it automatically, fast forward to the 45 minute mark where the press conference begins)

• Coach Quinn said she’s thrilled to be a part of Sue’s final season (first time that was made official).

• Bird talked about how all signs are pointing to this being her final season in the league but she doesn’t like saying it because she doesn’t want that hanging over her. Bird indicated that doesn’t operate in that space well and doesn’t want to play where it’s like “This is Sue’s last time in this city”, etc.

• Bird’s selflessness really stood out in this press conference. “I want to make this a celebration about everyone. In my career it’s never been just about me. I’d love for it to be a celebration of all things Seattle Storm” Bird said.

• Bird reached out to other pro athletes about how they ended their careers like CC Sabathia and Ray Allen.

• “Trying to win championships and being on championship teams is always the goal. It’s never been about anything else. When you’re on a winning team, when a team has success, everything else seems to fall in place. Whether it’s individual goals or the franchise. When that’s the priority, that’s when things work out” Bird said.

• Talked about how amazing the win was for the Women’s National Soccer team because it makes a huge impact not just for that team but for women’s sports and women in general. Especially, the future generations.

• Bird talked about how money wasn’t a big priority and that’s why she took the veteran minimum because it’s more important to build the team overall and go for the championship than being the highest paid player. Sue also mentioned that she has the luxury of making money outside of the WNBA that not all players have that opportunity.

• The “Unfinished Business” theme is because the team knows they can win a championship with this core group (Sue, Jewell, Stewie, Mercedes, etc.) because they’ve done it and they weren’t able to get it done last year especially due to Stewie’s injury.

• Bird gave advice on what younger guards need to do to be successful in the WNBA. She talked about the social media age and instant gratification, mentioned posting highlights but said they should focus on the team. She said the team aspect is getting lost a little bit, “All those highlights are wonderful but if you can play within a team framework, if you can find ways to show your individual skill within the framework of a team, that’s when you win, that’s when you’re on championship teams, and that’s when your name is in the headlines the most. You might lead the league in scoring but if you didn’t win the championship does it even matter?”

The WNBA season begins in a little over two months from now. The Storm will still likely be adding some training camp contracts to get the roster up to 13-15 players before they have make cuts down to 10-12 players.

I plan on writing more articles covering the Storm and the WNBA prior to the draft in April so keep an eye out for those.

Notes: I greatly appreciate those that have become paid subscribers or renewed their membership! It’s an exciting time in the WNBA and I look forward to covering the Storm and the league in 2022. Thanks for all your support!

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