Aces’ Loyd ready to return to Seattle after difficult exit

It seemed like the emotions of hitting a game-winning shot had somewhat worn off for Jewell Loyd — until she was asked about returning to play the Seattle Storm.

The Aces newcomer’s serious facial expression flashed into a smile once she looked to her left to see teammate Chelsea Gray banging on the table in reaction to the question:

“What do you imagine the emotions will be, to play on that court again as a member of a different team?”

Gray then playfully snapped her head to look directly at Loyd and raised her eyebrows up and down in anticipation for answer. Coach Becky Hammon also showed a grin as Loyd chuckled at her teammate before offering a response.

“I’m just really focused on making sure that we’re playing our basketball, enjoying the game, enjoying our teammates,” Loyd said. “But I’m definitely ready to get back there and just see the fans that I’ve known for so long — and a couple of players — and to just play another game.”

The Aces (2-1) face the Storm (2-1) at 3 p.m. Sunday at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, fresh off a nail-biter that saw Loyd make a corner 3-pointer with 1.9 seconds left for a 75-72 win over the Washington Mystics in their home opener.

After being drafted by the Storm out of Notre Dame with the No. 1 overall pick in 2015, this will be Loyd’s first time back in Seattle since she requested a trade in December.

‘Be Jewell’

Reports of Loyd’s trade request began to circulate hours after the Storm announced that an investigation into accusations of harassment and bullying by the team’s coaching staff had concluded without finding any violations.

While the 31-year-old has not spoken directly about the allegations, she has credited Hammon for allowing her to be herself with the Aces.

That approach from Hammon was on display when she was asked about the ups and downs of Loyd acclimating to the new team before Friday’s win over the Mystics.

“Jewell just needs to be Jewell,” Hammon said. “She’s going to get more and more comfortable in our system. I don’t ever really worry about her.”

Before the season began, Loyd made it clear she didn’t have the same experience during her final season with the Storm.

“Honestly, you never really know until stuff happens,” Loyd told the Review-Journal when asked if there was a moment she knew she needed to move on. “But I knew that I couldn’t be in an environment that didn’t allow me to be myself. That’s all I knew.

“Whether it was staying in Seattle, whether it’s coming here, going anywhere else, I just wanted to make sure that the environment I was in was a safe space for me. So that’s kind of my viewpoint. And obviously, a couple months later, things happened.”

Seattle legend

The accolades on Loyd’s resume while in Seattle include Rookie of the Year, two-time WNBA champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist.

WNBA legend Sue Bird was there from Loyd’s rookie year until 2022.

“This makes me sad. You’ll always be a Seattle legend. You really left a legacy,” Bird said on her podcast “Bird’s Eye View” while listing Loyd’s accomplishments with the Storm.

“There’s going to be Jewell Loyd jerseys in the Seattle stands for years to come.”

Loyd looked back at the personnel changes during her time in Seattle with great clarity in an interview with the RJ. She and Breanna Stewart “grew up together” there with Bird as the maternal mentor figure, Loyd said.

That all changed in 2023, when Stewart joined New York and Bird retired.

It was “a growth year,” Loyd said. She was the league’s scoring champion, recording a record 939 points (24.7 per game), a mark only to be broken by Aces star A’ja Wilson’s 1,021 points (26.9) the next season. Loyd was also the All-Star MVP.

But despite all of her personal accolades, the Storm won just 11 games.

In response, the Storm added Loyd’s former Notre Dame teammate Skylar Diggins and center Nneka Ogwumike under coach Noelle Quinn, who has held the role since 2021.

“I think anytime you’re adding any superstars into a team, it takes a minute. It doesn’t necessarily always happen right away, because it’s just history,” Loyd said of her experience adapting to the new-look Storm in 2024.

Going through different phases with the Storm meant Loyd already had a philosophy that she held onto even with the new arrivals.

“I’ve always been open about saying it’s never been about ‘me and my team.’ It’s our team. It shouldn’t just be one leader. It should be 12 leaders,” Loyd said. “Everyone’s voice should be heard, and my job is to make sure that everyone understands that and has that value. That’s kind of how I always saw leadership.”

‘Ride through the storm’

Throughout the season, Loyd’s friend Danny Malakismail said he saw a toll being taken on her last year.

“I would always text her pregame, postgame — you know, good luck, or good game, or anything like that,” he said. “But there were stretches in the season where I almost felt like, ‘Man, I don’t know if I should even text her because I’m just, I’m worried.’”

Regardless of how she felt, Malakismail said Loyd kept a brave face.

“She’ll ride through the storm,” he said. “It’s never just about ‘me’ with (Loyd). And so that’s where I saw her persevere. Even though there were a lot of messy situations, or whatever the case may be with how things ended or how things went throughout the season — (Loyd) made sure that the ship was still riding.”

Despite the lack of clarity regarding what made Loyd’s experience so difficult, her best friend Laci Sawnn said she knows this season will be the only response necessary.

“She never has to say too much,” Swann said. “She just puts in the work.”

Contact Callie Fin at cfin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.