SEATTLE — The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) kicked off its regular season on Tuesday, and including the Seattle Storm's game against the Minnesota Lynx.
The excitement around women's basketball has skyrocketed of late after a thrilling college season that saw eventual No. 1 overall draft pick Caitlin Clark captivate the nation with a record-breaking season for the University of Iowa.
Clark's arrival is the league-wide story of the year, but there are plenty of intriguing storylines to follow in the WNBA in 2024. Here is what fans should know about the Storm going into the 2024 season.
The Storm lost their home opener 83-70 to the Lynx on Tuesday, May 14.
Storm players to watch
Jewell Loyd was one of the league's top scorers for the Storm in 2023, but the team struggled to win consistently after the departures of the team's two top players the prior season in Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart.
Loyd returns in 2024, but the reigning WNBA All-Star Game MVP will have some more help in the lineup to ease her workload.
The Storm signed a pair of highly-coveted free agents that bring strong resumes with them in professional basketball. Skylar Diggins-Smith is a four-time All-WNBA First-Team member who averaged just under 20 points per game in her last full season. She sat out the 2023 season to give birth, but has shown flashes of her elite point guard play during the preseason.
Along with Diggins-Smith, Nneka Ogwumike brings a lengthy track record of success to Seattle. Ogwumike was named one of the 25 greatest players in league history in 2021, and has 5 All-WNBA Second-Team selections as well as 8 All-Star nods to her name. She averaged over 19 points per game in 2023 for the Los Angeles Sparks, and should be a major factor in the Storm frontcourt.
Ogwumike will be joining Ezi Magbegor, who made her first WNBA All-Star last season and averaged just under 2 blocks a game for the Storm in 2023.
One final newcomer to keep an eye on is Nika Muhl, the Storm's second-round draft choice out of the University of Connecticut. Muhl broke some of former Storm and UCONN guard Sue Bird's records in college, and the organization hopes she can blossom into the next great point guard in Seattle.
Games to watch
Wednesday, May 22 vs. Indiana Fever: Just over a week after the season begins, Seattle fans will get their first chance to see Clark and the Fever in person at Climate Pledge Arena. Clark had one of her defining collegiate games in an Elite 8 matchup in Seattle during her junior season, and should draw a large crowd for her first game back in the city since.
Friday, July 5 vs. Chicago Sky: Another of the most popular WNBA rookies will be making her Seattle debut as a professional. Former Louisiana State University star Angel Reese and the Sky will play a pair of consecutive games in Seattle on July 5 and 7, giving local fans a pair of opportunities to see the former national champion in action.
Wednesday, July 10 vs. Las Vegas Aces: The two-time defending champions will play its first of two contests in Seattle in mid-July. Former University of Washington star Kelsey Plum and two-time league MVP A'ja Wilson lead what is still considered the league's best team.