# 2021 Seattle Storm season

The 2021 Seattle Storm season is the franchise's 22nd season in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Due to ongoing renovations at the Climate Pledge Arena, the Storm played their home games at the Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett, Washington.
On May 30, 2021, head coach Dan Hughes announced his retirement; the Storm named associate head coach Noelle Quinn as his permanent replacement.
The Storm started the season with a finals rematch against the Las Vegas Aces. They split the series at home, 1–1. The rest of the opening month went smoother for the team, as that would be their only loss in May. Two of their wins game in overtime as well. The strong start continued into June, with the team winning their first two games of the month to extend their winning streak to six games. That streak was snapped on June 6, with a one point loss to Dallas. A five game winning streak followed the loss, but it was broken by the Storm losing their last two games of June to finish the month 7–3. The team won four of their five games in July, with their only loss coming away against Phoenix. They took a 16–5 record into the Olympic break.
The first game back from the Olympic break was the inaugural Commissioner's Cup Final, which the Storm won. The game was a dominating 79-57 victory over the Connecticut Sun. Breanna Stewart was named MVP of the game. However, she would not play in their next two games, which the Storm would both lose. The team turned their streak around with two wins, but they were followed by two losses, to give the Storm a 2–5 record in August. September proved to be a better month as the team won three of their four games to finish the season with a 21–11 record.
Their record earned them the fourth seed in the 2021 WNBA Playoffs, which gave them a bye into the Second Round. The Storm hosted the Phoenix Mercury and lost 80–85 in overtime; Stewart did not play in the game.

## Transactions
### WNBA draft

| Round | Pick | Player | Nationality | School/Team/Country |
| 1 | 11 | Aaliyah Wilson | United States | Texas A&M |
| 2 | 18 | Kiana Williams | United States | Stanford |
| 2 | 23 | N'dea Jones | United States | Texas A&M |
| 3 | 35 | Natalie Kucowski | United States | Lafayette |

### Trades and roster changes

| Date | Details |
| February 1, 2021 | Re-Signed G Epiphanny Prince |
| February 8, 2021 | F Crystal Langhorne retired |
| February 8, 2021 | Signed F Candice Dupree |
| February 10, 2021 | Acquired the No. 1 pick in the 2021 WNBA draft and two picks in the 2022 WNBA draft from the New York Liberty in exchange for F Natasha Howard via sign-and-trade |
| February 10, 2021 | Acquired F Mikiah Herbert Harrigan from the Minnesota Lynx in exchange for a first-round pick in the 2022 WNBA draft |
| February 10, 2021 | Acquired F Katie Lou Samuelson and a second-round pick in the 2022 WNBA draft from the Dallas Wings in exchange for the No. 1 pick in the 2021 WNBA draft |
| February 10, 2021 | Acquired the rights to F Stephanie Talbot from the New York Liberty in exchange for G Sami Whitcomb via sign-and-trade |
| February 11, 2021 | Signed F Stephanie Talbot |
| March 1, 2021 | Re-Signed G Sue Bird |
| March 15, 2021 | F Morgan Tuck retired |
| April 15, 2021 | Acquired G Kennedy Burke from the Indiana Fever in exchange for the rights to F Aaliyah Wilson |
| April 17, 2021 | Signed G Kiana Williams |
| May 28, 2021 | Set F Mikiah Herbert Harrigan as inactive |
| June 28, 2021 | Waived G Kiana Williams |
| July 1, 2021 | Signed F Cierra Burdick to 7-day contract |
| July 2, 2021 | Waived F Candice Dupree |
| July 5, 2021 | Signed F N'dea Jones to 7-day contract |
| July 23, 2021 | Signed G Kiana Williams to 7-Day Contract |
| August 18, 2021 | Signed F Cierra Burdick to a Rest-Of-Season Contract |
| August 23, 2021 | Signed F Karlie Samuelson to a Rest-Of-Season Contract |

## Game log
### Preseason

2021 pre-season game log :
May: 2–0 (Home: 1–0; Road: 1–0)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
1
May 8
@ Phoenix
W 88–71
Ezi Magbegor (17)
Ezi Magbegor (7)
Jordin Canada (6)
Phoenix Suns Arena 1,985
1–0
2
May 10
Phoenix
W 103–93
K. Williams Dupree (12)
Stephanie Talbot (5)
Sue Bird (7)
Angel of the Winds Arena
2–0 :
2021 pre-season schedule :

### Regular season

2021 game log Total: 21–11 (Home: 11–5; Road: 10–6) :
May: 5–1 (Home: 3–1; Road: 2–0)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
1
May 15
Las Vegas
W 97–83
Breanna Stewart (28)
Breanna Stewart (13)
Sue Bird (8)
Angel of the Winds Arena 1,031
1–0
2
May 18
Las Vegas
L 80–96
Breanna Stewart (26)
Ezi Magbegor (13)
Sue Bird (5)
Angel of the Winds Arena 1,001
1–1
3
May 20
@ Minnesota
W 90–78
Jewell Loyd (23)
Breanna Stewart (7)
Sue Bird (8)
Target Center 1,934
2–1
4
May 22
@ Dallas
W 100–97 (OT)
Breanna Stewart (36)
Breanna Stewart (11)
Jewell Loyd (6)
College Park Center 1,491
3–1
5
May 25
Connecticut
W 87–90 (OT)
Sue Bird (21)
Breanna Stewart (12)
Jewell Loyd (5)
Angel of the Winds Arena 1,011
4–1
6
May 28
Minnesota
W 82–72
Breanna Stewart (15)
Breanna Stewart (8)
Bird Loyd Prince (5)
Angel of the Winds Arena 1,332
5–1 :
June
: 7–3 (Home: 2–2; Road: 5–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
7
June 1
Indiana
W 88–73
Breanna Stewart (28)
Mercedes Russell (11)
Sue Bird (8)
Angel of the Winds Arena 1,215
6–1
8
June 4
Dallas
W 105-102 (OT)
Jewell Loyd (25)
Russell Stewart (9)
Sue Bird (10)
Angel of the Winds Arena 1,467
7–1
9
June 6
Dallas
L 67–68
Jewell Loyd (25)
Bird Stewart (7)
Sue Bird (5)
Angel of the Winds Arena 1,930
7–2
10
June 9
@ Atlanta
W 95–71
Jewell Loyd (18)
Breanna Stewart (9)
Sue Bird (6)
Gateway Center Arena 1,014
8–2
11
June 11
@ Atlanta
W 86–75
Jewell Loyd (20)
Breanna Stewart (13)
Sue Bird (7)
Gateway Center Arena 1,405
9–2
12
June 13
@ Connecticut
W 89–66
Breanna Stewart (22)
Breanna Stewart (9)
Breanna Stewart (5)
Mohegan Sun Arena 2,248
10–2
13
June 15
@ Indiana
W 87–70
Breanna Stewart (20)
Breanna Stewart (12)
Jordin Canada (6)
Indiana Farmers Coliseum No Fans
11–2
14
June 17
@ Indiana
W 79–69
Breanna Stewart (21)
Breanna Stewart (15)
Sue Bird (7)
Indiana Farmers Coliseum No Fans
12–2
15
June 22
Washington
L 83–87
Jewell Loyd (23)
Bird Stewart (8)
Jewell Loyd (9)
Angel of the Winds Arena 2,495
12–3
16
June 27
@ Las Vegas
L 92–95 (OT)
Breanna Stewart (35)
Russell Stewart (11)
Sue Bird (6)
Michelob Ultra Arena 3,766
12–4 :
July
: 4–1 (Home: 3–0; Road: 1–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
17
July 2
Atlanta
W 91–88
Sue Bird (15)
Mercedes Russell (7)
Sue Bird (5)
Angel of the Winds Arena 3,011
13–4
18
July 4
@ Los Angeles
W 84–74
Breanna Stewart (21)
Ezi Magbegor (9)
Jordin Canada (5)
Los Angeles Convention Center 716
14–4
19
July 7
Los Angeles
W 71–62
Breanna Stewart (27)
Breanna Stewart (11)
Sue Bird (5)
Angel of the Winds Arena 2,730
15–4
20
July 9
@ Phoenix
L 77–85
Jewell Loyd (16)
Breanna Stewart (13)
Sue Bird (5)
Phoenix Suns Arena 7,554
15–5
21
July 11
Phoenix
W 82–75
Epiphanny Prince (15)
Mercedes Russell (10)
Jewell Loyd (6)
Angel of the Winds Arena 5,110
16–5 :
August
: 2–5 (Home: 0–2; Road: 2–3)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
CC
August 12
vs. Connecticut
W 79–57
Breanna Stewart (17)
Mercedes Russell (7)
Sue Bird (5)
Footprint Center 5,006
N/A
22
August 15
@ Chicago
L 85–87
Jewell Loyd (26)
Mercedes Russell (11)
Mercedes Russell (7)
Wintrust Arena 6,231
16–6
23
August 18
@ New York
L 79–83
Jewell Loyd (35)
Stephanie Talbot (5)
Jordin Canada (6)
Barclays Center 2,103
16–7
24
August 20
@ New York
W 99–83
Jewell Loyd (29)
Breanna Stewart (14)
Sue Bird (6)
Barclays Center 3,889
17–7
25
August 22
@ Washington
W 85–78
Breanna Stewart (20)
Breanna Stewart (12)
Bird Talbot (4)
Entertainment and Sports Arena 3,114
18–7
26
August 24
@ Minnesota
L 70–76
Breanna Stewart (18)
Breanna Stewart (16)
Sue Bird (7)
Target Center 3,634
18–8
27
August 27
Chicago
L 69–73
Breanna Stewart (18)
Breanna Stewart (8)
Sue Bird (4)
Angel of the Winds Arena 3,650
18–9
28
August 29
Chicago
L 75–107
Breanna Stewart (19)
Breanna Stewart (6)
Sue Bird (7)
Angel of the Winds Arena 3,750
18–10 :
September
: 3–1 (Home: 3–0; Road: 0–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
29
September 2
New York
W 85–75
Breanna Stewart (33)
Breanna Stewart (8)
Breanna Stewart (5)
Angel of the Winds Arena 3,592
19–10
30
September 7
Washington
W 105–71
Jewell Loyd (20)
Loyd Magbegor (6)
Sue Bird (7)
Angel of the Winds Arena 2,390
20–10
31
September 12
@ Los Angeles
L 53–81
Epiphanny Prince (12)
Ezi Magbegor (6)
Jewell Loyd (3)
Staples Center 4,181
20–11
32
September 17
Phoenix
W 94–85
Jewell Loyd (37)
Mercedes Russell (8)
Sue Bird (7)
Angel of the Winds Arena 6,000
21–11 :
2021 season schedule :

### Playoffs

2021 playoff game log Total: 0–1 :
Second Round
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceSeries
1
September 26
Phoenix
80–85 (OT)
Katie Lou Samuelson (18)
Mercedes Russell (12)
Bird Loyd (5)
Angel of the Winds Arena 5,375
0–1 :
2021 playoff schedule :

## Standings

| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | Conf. | Home | Road | Cup |
| 1 | x – Connecticut Sun | 26 | 6 | .813 | – | 12–3 | 15–1 | 11–5 | 9–1 |
| 2 | x – Las Vegas Aces | 24 | 8 | .750 | 2 | 11–4 | 13–3 | 11–5 | 6–4 |
| 3 | x – Minnesota Lynx | 22 | 10 | .688 | 4 | 10–5 | 13–3 | 9–7 | 7–3 |
| 4 | x – Seattle Storm | 21 | 11 | .656 | 5 | 9–6 | 11–5 | 10–6 | 8–2 |
| 5 | x – Phoenix Mercury | 19 | 13 | .594 | 7 | 6–9 | 7–9 | 12–4 | 5–5 |
| 6 | x – Chicago Sky | 16 | 16 | .500 | 10 | 10–5 | 6–10 | 10–6 | 6–4 |
| 7 | x – Dallas Wings | 14 | 18 | .438 | 12 | 7–8 | 7–9 | 7–9 | 3–7 |
| 8 | x – New York Liberty | 12 | 20 | .375 | 14 | 6–9 | 7–9 | 5–11 | 5–5 |
| 9 | e – Washington Mystics | 12 | 20 | .375 | 14 | 7–8 | 8–8 | 4–12 | 4–6 |
| 10 | e – Los Angeles Sparks | 12 | 20 | .375 | 14 | 2–13 | 8–8 | 4–12 | 1–9 |
| 11 | e – Atlanta Dream | 8 | 24 | .250 | 18 | 6–9 | 4–12 | 4–12 | 4–6 |
| 12 | e – Indiana Fever | 6 | 26 | .188 | 20 | 4–11 | 4–12 | 2–14 | 2–8 |
* v
* t
* e
Notes
    (#) – League Standing
    x – Clinched playoff berth
    e – Eliminated from playoff contention
    Source: Overall standings and Commissioner's Cup Standings

## Playoffs

| First round Single elimination Sept. 23 | First round Single elimination Sept. 23 | First round Single elimination Sept. 23 | Second round Single elimination Sept. 26 | Second round Single elimination Sept. 26 | Second round Single elimination Sept. 26 | Semifinals Best-of-five Sept. 28 – Oct. 8 | Semifinals Best-of-five Sept. 28 – Oct. 8 | Semifinals Best-of-five Sept. 28 – Oct. 8 | Semifinals Best-of-five Sept. 28 – Oct. 8 | Semifinals Best-of-five Sept. 28 – Oct. 8 | Semifinals Best-of-five Sept. 28 – Oct. 8 | Semifinals Best-of-five Sept. 28 – Oct. 8 | WNBA Finals Best-of-five Oct. 10 – Oct. 17 | WNBA Finals Best-of-five Oct. 10 – Oct. 17 | WNBA Finals Best-of-five Oct. 10 – Oct. 17 | WNBA Finals Best-of-five Oct. 10 – Oct. 17 | WNBA Finals Best-of-five Oct. 10 – Oct. 17 | WNBA Finals Best-of-five Oct. 10 – Oct. 17 | WNBA Finals Best-of-five Oct. 10 – Oct. 17 |
| | | | | | | 2 | Las Vegas Aces | 96 | 91 | 60 | 93 | 84 | | | | | | | |
| | | | 4 | Seattle Storm | 80 | 5 | Phoenix Mercury | 90 | 117 | 87 | 76 | 87 | | | | | | | |
| 5 | Phoenix Mercury | 83 | 5 | Phoenix Mercury | 85$^{OT}$ | | | | | | | | 5 | Phoenix Mercury | 77 | 91$^{OT}$ | 50 | 74 | – |
| 8 | New York Liberty | 82 | | | | | | | | | | | 6 | Chicago Sky | 91 | 86 | 86 | 80 | – |
| | | | | | | 1 | Connecticut Sun | 95 | 79 | 83 | 69 | – | | | | | | | |
| | | | 3 | Minnesota Lynx | 76 | 6 | Chicago Sky | 101$^{2OT}$ | 68 | 86 | 79 | – | | | | | | | |
| 6 | Chicago Sky | 81 | 6 | Chicago Sky | 89 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 7 | Dallas Wings | 64 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Note: Teams re-seeded after each round.

## Statistics
### Regular season

| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
| Breanna Stewart | 28 | 28 | 33.4 | 43.9 | 33.3 | 84.7 | 9.5 | 2.7 | 1.2 | 1.8 | 20.3 |
| Jewell Loyd | 31 | 31 | 31.0 | 42.0 | 37.6 | 88.9 | 4.0 | 3.8 | 1.5 | 0.2 | 17.9 |
| Sue Bird | 30 | 30 | 27.7 | 43.1 | 41.9 | 83.3 | 2.6 | 5.3 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 10.0 |
| Mercedes Russell | 30 | 28 | 24.7 | 61.7 | 0.0 | 76.6 | 6.1 | 1.6 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 7.3 |
| Katie Lou Samuelson | 27 | 24 | 21.0 | 45.6 | 35.1 | 73.1 | 3.5 | 1.7 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 7.0 |
| Ezi Magbegor | 30 | 3 | 15.2 | 50.9 | 55.6 | 84.6 | 3.8 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 6.7 |
| Epiphanny Prince | 29 | 2 | 14.3 | 43.9 | 50.0 | 89.7 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 5.8 |
| Jordin Canada | 29 | 3 | 18.7 | 38.9 | 21.4 | 84.1 | 2.3 | 3.0 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 5.8 |
| Stephanie Talbot | 30 | 9 | 17.9 | 48.3 | 41.5 | 75.0 | 2.9 | 1.6 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 5.7 |
| Karlie Samuelson | 3 | 0 | 10.7 | 30.0 | 12.5 | 100 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 |
| Kennedy Burke | 23 | 0 | 7.7 | 44.6 | 33.3 | 62.5 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 2.9 |
| Cierra Burdick | 7 | 0 | 5.0 | 25.0 | 0.0 | 50.0 | 1.7 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.4 |

## Awards and honors

| Recipient | Award | Date awarded |
| Breanna Stewart | Western Conference Player of the Week | May 24 |
| Breanna Stewart | Western Conference Player of the Month - May | June 2 |
| Jewell Loyd | Western Conference Player of the Week | June 7 |
| Breanna Stewart | Western Conference Player of the Week | June 14 |
| Breanna Stewart | Western Conference Player of the Week | June 21 |
| Sue Bird | WNBA All-Star Selection | June 30 |
| Jewell Loyd | WNBA All-Star Selection | June 30 |
| Breanna Stewart | WNBA All-Star Selection | June 30 |
| Breanna Stewart | WNBA All-Defensive Second Team | September 26 |
| Jewell Loyd | All-WNBA First Team | October 15 |
| Breanna Stewart | All-WNBA First Team | October 15 |