Jewell Loyd Requests Trade From WNBA’s Seattle Storm
December 5, 2024
Loyd demands the action after complaining of bullying from the coaching staff and team announces no verification of complaints.
Seattle Storm All-Star guard Jewell Loyd has asked to be traded from the WNBA team.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the two-time WNBA champion and 2015 Rookie of the Year no longer wants to play for the team. She previously complained to the team that there was harassment and bullying from the coaching staff, which launched an investigation into her accusations. It was reported in November that the Storm hired a law firm to investigate the claim. The team recently announced that no violations were discovered in the investigation, which may have led to Loyd’s request.
The Storm provided ESPN with a statement regarding the results of the report.
“The Storm recently received internal allegations of potential workplace policy violations. 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.”
Loyd has spent her whole career with the Storm and helped the team win multiple WNBA titles in 2018 and 2020. She is a six-time All-Star and has been selected three times as an all-WNBA player. The Storm drafted her as the top pick in the 2015 draft. Last year, she led the WNBA in scoring and won two gold medals in the Olympics, playing with USA Basketball. She re-signed with the team for a supermax two-year extension in September 2023.
Earlier this year, the team signed coveted free agents Skylar Diggins-Smith and Nneka Ogwumike. After Diggins-Smith signed, shortly after the Storm got Ogwumike to place her signature on a contract after playing for the Los Angeles Sparks, Diggins-Smith made it clear that she wanted to play alongside Loyd.
“I’m laser-focused for the upcoming season. Stepping onto the court alongside Jewell, benefiting from the leadership of Noelle Quinn, and feeling the energy of the Seattle Storm fans is a combination that I am confident will lead to success.”
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