The WNBA complaint against the Seattle Storm: Everything we know
The Seattle Storm are the subject of another WNBA complaint, the second within the last year.
On Wednesday, iHeart Radio's Khristina Williams reported that the WNBA is reviewing a complaint that alleges that a Seattle staffer directed profanity towards a former player during a recent Storm-Las Vegas Aces matchup. Per a source with knowledge of the situation, For The Win can independently confirm a complaint was filed with the WNBA regarding a member of the Storm organization.
The latest complaint filed against Seattle is the second in as many as seven months, dating back to last year. So, how did we get here? Where did this all come from? We're here to help you out. Here's everything we know regarding the WNBA complaint filed against the Seattle Storm:
This is an ongoing story and will be updated as new information is made available.
When was the first complaint against the Seattle Storm?
In November of 2024, the Chicago Sun-Times revealed that Seattle's coaching staff was under investigation for alleged player harassment and bullying related to on-court performance and incidents during practice and games. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, former guard Jewell Loyd reportedly made the complaint against the Storm.At the time, the allegations were reportedly about incidents during practices and games and were tied to the experiences of multiple players. Although not immediately clear if related, during the same period, starting guard Skylar Diggins also shared several cryptic posts to Instagram.
What did the investigation find?
Weeks later, in December 2024, the Storm announced that a third-party investigation team did not find any violations. Here's what Seattle said via a statement to ESPN:
"The organization retained an outside investigator to conduct an impartial investigation into the allegations. The investigation has been completed and there were no findings of policy violations or any discrimination, harassment or bullying."
"To protect the integrity of the process, and to preserve confidentiality, we chose not to comment while the investigation was ongoing. The Storm will continue to provide a work environment in which all individuals are treated with respect."
Was Jewell Loyd's trade request related to the Storm's investigation?
It remains unknown if the investigation into the Storm impacted Loyd's decision to request a trade, but shortly after it concluded, Loyd requested to end her time with Seattle. In January, she eventually landed with the Las Vegas Aces via a three-team trade.
What's different about this latest complaint?
Unlike the complaint from 2024, there isn't an official investigation. Still, the WNBA is looking into the matter. Following a recent Aces-Storm game, there was allegedly a confrontation. A filed complaint alleges that a Seattle assistant coach cursed at an Aces player. The league is now reviewing the incident.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
13 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Kayla McBride ties WNBA record with 8 3s in one half; Lynx record largest road win in league history
Kayla McBride scored 24 points Wednesday in a win over the New York Liberty. The sharpshooting Minnesota Lynx guard matched that total before intermission Saturday in Las Vegas. During a 67-point Minnesota first half, McBride tied a WNBA record with eight 3s. McBride didn't make another triple the rest of the way, but she still headlined a 111-58 domination of the Aces, the largest road victory in league history. The Lynx's 53-point margin of victory topped a 45-point road win by the Houston Comets in 1998 during the league's second year of competition. Minnesota, which has now scored 100-plus points in three of its last four games, put on an offensive clinic in Vegas. Unfortunately for head coach Cheryl Reeve, it came at a cost. Five-time All-Star forward Napheesa Collier went down with a right ankle injury late in the third quarter. She rolled the ankle of her right foot, which collided with the left foot of Lynx forward Alanna Smith while they were both hunting an offensive rebound. Eventually, Collier slowly walked off the court under her own power, granted she had an arm around the shoulder of a Minnesota staffer as she made her way to the locker room. Collier came into the day as the favorite at BetMGM to win WNBA MVP, leading the league with 23.8 points per game. McBride and Collier were two of four Lynx players who scored at least 17 points Saturday. The others were forward Jessica Shepard, who tallied a season-high 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting and 14 rebounds, and guard Natisha Hiedeman, who added three 3s and notched 17 points. As a team, Minnesota shot 13 of 14 from beyond the arc in the first half. McBride didn't miss in the opening two quarters, and three of the five-time All-Star guard's long-range splashes took place in the span of 53 seconds late in the second frame. "I was trying to just kind of be in the moment in the first half," McBride told ESPN in her postgame interview. "You never know when stuff that like that is going to happen. So letting it go, letting it fly, that's what I do. So I was just really having fun out there." That late-first-half sequence saw McBride come off a screen and drain a 30-foot triple, a shot that would have probably been good for four points in this year's All-Star Game. Immediately after that, she stole a pass from three-time league MVP A'ja Wilson, dribbled down the court and hit a 27-foot 3 over the outstretched arm of the 6-foot-4 Wilson. McBride finished the trifecta of 3s with a 29-footer, making the Aces pay from way downtown after Las Vegas was late on another defensive rotation. Fellow Lynx and All-Star guard Courtney Williams kept Minnesota's foot on the gas with a contested triple late in the shot clock, and the Lynx finished the first half with a 67-33 lead. Collier had only four points by the break, but she added 14 more before she sustained her injury. Her first-half stat line did, however, feature four assists. Minnesota rounded out the day with 32 assists on 42 field goals. Not only were the Lynx moving the ball around with ease, but they also were turning defense into offense in transition. Minnesota outscored Las Vegas 29-2 in fastbreak points Saturday. The Lynx cashed in on 23 points off 16 Aces turnovers. "It's always about our defense," McBride told ESPN. "That's what we're built off of. We just had a four-game home stand. We want to bring our defense on the road. I thought we did a great job from the jump, just coming out with the intensity that we need to play with to win every possession. I thought it was a great game for us." The Aces led the W in scoring each of the previous five seasons but entered the weekend eighth in that department. Then they shot 34.3% and fell way short of their 81.6 points per game. Head coach Becky Hammon had her starters out of the game midway through the third quarter. McBride starred against the franchise that drafted her in 2014. The Lynx set a single-game team record with 17 made 3s, McBride tied the single-half league record with 8 triples and Minnesota left Vegas with the largest road win in WNBA history.
Yahoo
13 minutes ago
- Yahoo
MVP leader Napheesa Collier injures ankle in Lynx's 53-point win over Aces
The Minnesota Lynx's dominance was on display Saturday with a 111-58 victory over the Las Vegas Aces, but the historic win was mitigated by forward Napheesa Collier leaving the game with a right ankle injury. Collier twisted her ankle after inadvertently colliding with teammate Alanna Smith under the basket on a rebound attempt with 10.8 seconds remaining in the third quarter and the Lynx up by 43 points. An emotional Collier remained down on the floor at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas and was surrounded by players from both teams before unsuccessfully attempting to stand on her own. Collier was able to walk off the court with assistance and went to the locker room. She was ruled out the remainder of the game with a right ankle injury, finishing with 18 points, five assists, three rebounds and two steals in the largest road win in WNBA history. Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve said it's "just way too early" to provide an injury update for Collier following the win, but noted that the five-time All-Star will undergo imaging and evaluations per team protocol. Reeve added, "We'll worry until we know more." Collier scored 14 of her 18 points in the third quarter before she got injured. The Lynx had amassed such a large lead that Aces coach Becky Hammon pulled her starters with 5:22 seconds remaining in the third as the Aces trailed by 33 points. When asked if Lynx starter should have been pulled earlier in the game, Reeve said, "No." "It's the third quarter of a game on someone else's floor. I don't think the game is over. I don't think like that. (Collier) had a sub there and she wasn't going to play the fourth quarter. Sometimes these things happen," Reeve said postgame. "I get it. People are going to rail on me and that's part of sitting in the seat that I'm sitting in. We did what we think was right. Sometimes these things happen and it's unfortunate and hopefully she will be OK." Minnesota win by 53 points is the second biggest blowout in WNBA history, second only to the Lynx's 59-point victory over the Indiana Fever on Aug. 18, 2017. Kayla McBride finished with a team-high 24 points after starting 8-of-8 from 3-point range. Minnesota finished with a franchise-high 17 3-pointers in the win, with two coming from Collier. "You hate to see anyone go down, especially your MVP," McBride said. "When we see Phee go down, we see Phee the person before the basketball player. Just wishing the best for her. Speedy recovery. We just want her to be healthy. She's had such an amazing season and she's just so impactful for us on both ends of the floor." McBride said Collier was "in good spirits" in the locker room. Collier is the MVP frontrunner. She's averaging a career-high and league-leading 23.8 points through 25 games. The reigning Defensive Player of the Year also ranks among the top five in the league in steals (1.8 per game) and blocks (1.7 per game). Minnesota faces Seattle (Aug. 5) and Washington (Aug. 8) before three consecutive games against the Liberty (Aug. 10, 16 and 19.) The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fastDownload for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lynx's Napheesa Collier injures ankle in lopsided win, status unclear
Yahoo
13 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Minnesota Lynx put up biggest road win margin in WNBA history vs. Aces
The Minnesota Lynx are the best team in the WNBA. And in case there was any question about it, just look at their score from Saturday. The Lynx went to Las Vegas and demolished the Aces, 111-58. That 53-point margin of victory is the largest in a road game in WNBA history. Kayla McBride led the charge with might efficiency. She shot 8-for-10 from 3-point range to get all 24 of her points from beyond the arc. Napheesa Collier had 18 points before leaving the game injured. Jessica Shepard had 18 points and 14 rebounds off the bench. Natisha Hiedeman added 17 off the bench. Courtney Williams made the show go, with nine points, six rebounds and nine assists. Overall, the Lynx shot 59.2% from the floor, and 63% from 3. The Aces shot 34.3% from the floor and 30.8% from 3. MORE: Fever's Aari McDonald good fortune has continued with Caitlin Clark out The Lynx led the way in pretty much every statistic. Even at the line, the Lynx were 10-for-14, and the Aces were 4-for-8. Minnesota had 45 rebounds to Las Vegas' 22, which makes sense, since the Lynx couldn't miss and the Aces couldn't make. The Lynx led in steals, 12-6. Minnesota also had an absurd margin in fastbreak points, 29-2, and led paint points, 44-28. With the win, the Lynx improved to 24-5, the best record in the league. They need Collier's injury to not be a problem, but they're on a mission. The Lynx lost in last season's WNBA Finals to the Liberty. They want to get back and win it this year, and right now, they're at the peak of their powers. MORE: Sun's Marina Mabrey put up a masterpiece in upset of Liberty
