What’s going on with the Seattle Storm?
The Seattle Storm, starting the year at 4-4, seems to be having a rather ordinary season. However, recent days have been buzzing with rumors about trade demands and, well, some serious off-court drama centered around the WNBA’s most successful franchise. This follows an off-season that was already quite eventful, highlighted by Jewell Lloyd’s trade request and the selection of French prospect Dominique Malonga.
The chatter began Wednesday when Khristina Williams from Iheart Women’s Sports shared, “Sources indicate there are inquiries being made about the Seattle Storm’s coaching staff and the league is looking into it.”
Following that initial tweet, Williams mentioned again that, well, things seem a bit murky.
ESPN reports no investigation into Storm staff
Just hours later, ESPN’s Michael Vaupel and Alexa Philippe indicated that there’s no significant investigation happening regarding the Storm. According to their report, a league source remarked that the assistant coach was involved in some unfortunate cursing at a Las Vegas Ace player during Sunday’s match in Seattle. Still, they stressed that there isn’t an investigation into the Storm itself.
The incident reportedly occurred during the game when the Ace defeated the Storm 75-70. Yet, there is still no confirmation about which player raised the issue. Interestingly, Jewell Lloyd, who had previously been with the Storm before being traded in February, is the only current Ace player with a history there. She’s currently averaging 10.2 points and 4.5 rebounds each game.
If it’s indeed Lloyd bringing this to attention, it wouldn’t be the first time; she previously accused the Storm coaching staff of bullying and harassment, as noted in a report from November.
In light of these allegations, the Storm opted to engage an external law firm to look into the matter. ESPN also reported that an earlier investigation in December found no evidence of misconduct.
“The Storm has received allegations regarding potential workplace policy violations,” the team stated, adding that the external investigators found no evidence of wrongdoing, harassment, or discrimination.
So, for the time being, it seems there isn’t any ongoing investigation into the alleged incident from Sunday. The Storm will next face the Ace again on June 20th.
Li Yueru requests a trade
Additionally, in the midst of all this, Storm forward Li Yueru has reportedly asked for a trade, as Williams first noted.
Recently during practice, Yueru discussed her feelings about her time with the Storm. “I came to America just to play basketball,” she noted, emphasizing how great the team is and the talent they have, especially among post players. “We have the best post players in the world, but it feels like there’s just not enough time.”
Whether Yueru’s trade demand will lead to any action remains uncertain.
