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Storm guard Jewell Loyd announces she’ll join Unrivaled Basketball | Notebook – The Seattle Times
Unrivaled Basketball, the new three-on-three women’s basketball league, announced on the social-media platform X that Seattle Storm guard Jewell Loyd will be among the 30 players in the six-team league.
“What’s good Miami!!” Loyd tweeted Saturday. “You ready??? Don’t worry, more people are coming.”
Co-founded by former Storm forward Breanna Stewart and Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier, the league is set to tip off in January 2025.
“The Gold Mamba is Unrivaled,” Unrivaled tweeted. “5/30. Tag Who’s Next.”
Stewart, Collier, Las Vegas Aces guard Chelsea Gray, and Dallas Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale are among the five players set to participate.
One new player is announced daily, with the league claiming it will offer the highest average salary in women’s professional sports history, reportedly starting at over $100,000.
Several more high-profile women’s basketball players, including WNBA All-Stars, have agreed to play in the three-month season held in Miami. The league doesn’t overlap with WNBA training camps.
As the Storm near the end of their record-breaking nine-game homestand, their goal from the outset was to win seven of the games and climb out of fourth place.
At 6-2, the Storm (15-8) still have a shot at one goal as they conclude their homestand Sunday at 3 p.m. against the Atlanta Dream.
Wednesday afternoon’s loss to the Las Vegas Aces (15-7) not only dashed their hopes for the season series and possible playoff tiebreaker, but it also likely means they’ll remain in fifth place in the WNBA.
“Just leaving a good taste in our mouth when we’re done with these next two games, being able to close this thing out, seven out of nine at home,” Nneka Ogwumike said following Friday night’s win against the Lynx. “Then getting a good road win before people go about and win medals.
“We have an opportunity to put ourselves in a good position and it’s going to be on all of us to remain connected.”
The Storm face the Sparks in a Tuesday afternoon road game, and then the WNBA heads into the All-Star break and the Olympic break. The Storm return to play with a road game against the Dream on Aug. 16.
The previous WNBA record for consecutive home games was eight, a record shared by three teams, including the Storm, who played eight straight from May 14 to June 7 in 2022.
“It’s been nice that we were able to get the arena for that many games,” Skylar Diggins-Smith said. “I know a lot of teams can’t even do that. We’ll take it. The Storm crazies, they come and support, even when I was an opponent, they always come and support the city. We really take pride in having a tough environment for away teams to come and try to get a win in. They set the tone for us, we feed off of them.”
The Storm played 10 of their first 15 games on the road, but at home they have been five points better offensively and have allowed eight fewer points defensively.
“There are things that we can do on the court that sometimes you can’t do when you’re on the road,” Storm coach Noelle Quinn said. “The efficiency of being home has proven to show in games because we’re able to review things a little bit more, be more comfortable and get treatment.”
The Storm, featuring four offseason acquisitions including two proven All-Star-caliber starters, never really had the time to get acquainted with a training camp just over two weeks long. Ogwumike spent 12 seasons with the Los Angeles Sparks, while Diggins-Smith spent her last three seasons with the Phoenix Mercury.
Players finally had a chance to take a breath and settle in.
“No traveling has helped a lot,” Ogwumike said before Wednesday’s game. “I can’t really say that I’ve had a lot of time to do anything. We’re in the middle of four games in seven days, but being in my own room, in my own bed, in my own place is definitely helpful. That helps me settle in.”
And the team’s chemistry has grown stronger.
“It’s helped us build more chemistry together,” said Victoria Vivians, who spent her first five years with the Indiana Fever. “More practice is better for us because there are a lot of new people on the team. It’s been very beneficial to be at home and just get to know each other more.”
Off the court, while it’s been challenging to explore the city during this condensed stretch for some of the players new to Seattle, others will take full advantage of the upcoming break to do just that.
“I’ve been able to explore Seattle a lot over this homestand,” rookie Nika Muhl said. “I’ve had (former University of Connecticut teammate) Paige (Bueckers) come over and Lou (Lopez-Senechal of the Dallas Wings). This gave me an opportunity to explore with both of them because I’m kind of forced to show them around and get out of bed.
“All jokes aside, I love it. I love the food. That’s been something that hasn’t disappointed me yet in Seattle.”
Loyd has recommended exploring rooftops and Alki Beach to her teammates.
“During the break, I’m going to have some time, I’ll get a bucket list from her (Loyd), and I’ll probably send her pictures while she’s in Paris doing her thing and see what I got to do,” Ogwumike said.
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