| Seattle Storm | |
|---|---|
| 2011 Seattle Storm season | |
| Conference | Western |
| Founded | 2000 |
| History | Seattle Storm (2000–present) |
| Arena | KeyArena |
| City | Seattle, Washington |
| Sponsor | Bing |
| Team colors | Green, Red, White, Gold |
| Owner(s) | Force 10 Hoops LLC |
| General manager | Karen Bryant |
| Head coach | Brian Agler |
| Assistant coaches | Jenny Boucek Nancy Darsch |
| Championships | 2 (2004, 2010) |
| Conference titles | 2 (2004, 2010) |
| Mascot | Doppler |
| Official website | wnba.com/storm |
The Seattle Storm is a professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded before the 2000 season began. The team is owned by Force 10 Hoops LLC, which is composed of three Seattle businesswomen: Dawn Trudeau, Lisa Brummel, and Ginny Gilder.
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]
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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]
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 the court. The Storm presented the President with a championship ring.[10]
| Season | Team | Conference | Regular season | Playoff Results | Head coach | |||
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| W | L | PCT | ||||||
| Seattle Storm | ||||||||
| 2000 | 2000 | West | 8th | 6 | 26 | .188 | Did not qualify | Lin Dunn |
| 2001 | 2001 | West | 8th | 10 | 22 | .313 | Did not qualify | Lin Dunn |
| 2002 | 2002 | West | 4th | 17 | 15 | .531 | Lost Conference Semifinals (Los Angeles, 0–2) | Lin Dunn |
| 2003 | 2003 | West | 5th | 18 | 16 | .529 | Did not qualify | Anne Donovan |
| 2004 | 2004 | West | 2nd | 20 | 14 | .588 | Won Conference Semifinals (Minnesota, 2–0) Won Conference Finals (Sacramento, 2–1) Won WNBA Finals (Connecticut, 2–1) |
Anne Donovan |
| 2005 | 2005 | West | 2nd | 20 | 14 | .588 | Lost Conference Semifinals (Houston, 1–2) | Anne Donovan |
| 2006 | 2006 | West | 4th | 18 | 16 | .529 | Lost Conference Semifinals (Los Angeles, 1–2) | Anne Donovan |
| 2007 | 2007 | West | 4th | 17 | 17 | .500 | Lost Conference Semifinals (Phoenix, 0–2) | Anne Donovan |
| 2008 | 2008 | West | 2nd | 22 | 12 | .647 | Lost Conference Semifinals (Los Angeles, 1–2) | Brian Agler |
| 2009 | 2009 | West | 2nd | 20 | 14 | .588 | Lost Conference Semifinals (Los Angeles, 1–2) | Brian Agler |
| 2010 | 2010 | West | 1st | 28 | 6 | .824 | Won Conference Semifinals (Los Angeles, 2–0) Won Conference Finals (Phoenix, 2–0) Won WNBA Finals (Atlanta, 3–0) |
Brian Agler |
| 2011 | 2011 | West | 2nd | 21 | 13 | .618 | Lost Conference Semifinals (Phoenix, 1–2) | Brian Agler |
| Regular season | 217 | 185 | .540 | 2 Conference Championships | ||||
| Playoffs | 18 | 16 | .529 | 2 WNBA Championships | ||||
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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.[11]
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| Sporting positions | ||
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| Preceded by Phoenix Mercury |
WNBA Champions 2010 (Second title) |
Succeeded by Minnesota Lynx |
| WNBA Western Conference Champions 2010 (Second title) |
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| Preceded by Detroit Shock |
WNBA Champions 2004 (First title) |
Succeeded by Sacramento Monarchs |
| Preceded by Los Angeles Sparks |
WNBA Western Conference Champions 2004 (First title) |
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