The Seattle Storm are one of the most successful franchises in WNBA history.
Founded in 2000, the Storm have won four WNBA championships, produced multiple league MVPs and Rookie of the Year winners, developed Naismith Basketball Hall of Famers, and become one of the most enduring women’s professional sports organizations in the Pacific Northwest.
The franchise’s greatest eras have been built around legendary players such as Lauren Jackson, Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart. Its history also includes pioneering ownership, championship coaches and a remarkable ability to remain competitive through generations of players.
The Storm’s four WNBA championships came in 2004, 2010, 2018 and 2020.
The Birth of the Seattle Storm
The WNBA awarded Seattle an expansion franchise in 1999, with the team beginning play in the 2000 season.
The franchise became known as the Seattle Storm and originally operated in conjunction with the The Birth of the Seattle Storm’s Seattle SuperSonics.
The Storm played their first season at Key Arena, the building that had been the home of the Super Sonics.
Seattle immediately established itself as a legitimate WNBA franchise, but the team’s transformation into a championship organization began with the arrival of Lauren Jackson.
The Owners of the Seattle Storm
The Storm’s ownership history is particularly interesting because the franchise changed hands during the controversial departure of the Seattle Super Sonics.
Howard Schultz and the Seattle Super Sonics ownership group
When the Storm began play in 2000, the franchise was owned as part of the Seattle Super Sonics organization.
Starbucks chairman Howard Schultz had purchased the Super Sonics and Storm in 2001, and the Storm remained under the Sonics ownership structure during the early part of its history.
The Storm’s first years were therefore closely connected with the NBA franchise.
Clay Bennett and Professional Basketball Club LLC
In 2006, the Super Sonics and Storm were sold to a group headed by Oklahoma businessman Clay Bennett.
That ownership group ultimately moved the SuperSonics to Oklahoma City following the 2007–08 season. The Storm’s situation was different. Rather than moving to Oklahoma City, the Storm were sold separately.
Force 10 Hoops — 2008
On February 28, 2008, the Storm were purchased by Force 10 Hoops LLC for $10 million.
The original Force 10 ownership group consisted of four Seattle women: Anne Levinson, Lisa Brummel, Dawn Trudeau
and Ginny Gilder. The purchase was historically important because it kept the Storm in Seattle when the future of professional basketball in the city was uncertain. Anne Levinson subsequently left the ownership group, leaving Brummel, Trudeau and Gilder as the principal Force 10 owners.
Sue Bird Joins the Ownership Group In 2024, Storm legend Sue Bird joined the ownership group. Bird’s addition was especially significant because she had spent her entire WNBA playing career with Seattle, from 2002 through 2022. She had already become one of the defining figures in franchise history as a player before becoming an owner. Bobby Wagner Joins the Ownership Group. In 2026, Seattle Seahawks legend Bobby Wagner joined the Storm ownership group. His addition expanded the ownership group with another prominent Seattle sports figure. The Storm described the organization as having four WNBA championships and 19 playoff appearances through 25 seasons when announcing Wagner’s addition.
The current ownership structure is centered on Force 10 Hoops, with Lisa Brummel, Dawn Trudeau and Ginny Gilder among the principal owners, along with newer ownership partners including Sue Bird and Bobby Wagner.
Every Arena the Seattle Storm Have Called Home
The Storm have had a more complicated home-arena history than many WNBA teams because of the rebuilding of their longtime Seattle Center home.
Key Arena — 2000–2018
Key Arena was the Storm’s original and longest-running home.
The Storm played there from their inaugural 2000 season through 2018. It became one of the great home courts in WNBA history. Seattle went 209–110 at Key Arena, a .655 winning percentage, and had 15 winning seasons at the building between 2000 and 2018.
Key Arena witnessed two Storm championships:
2004
2010
It also witnessed the team’s 2018 championship run.
The final Storm game at the old Key Arena was Game 2 of the 2018 WNBA Finals, a 75–73 Seattle victory over the Washington Mystics. Seattle then won Game 3 in Washington to capture its third championship.
Alaska Airlines Arena — 2020 scheduled home
When the original Key Arena was being redeveloped, Seattle planned to use the University of Washington’s Alaska Airlines Arena for the first portion of its 2020 home schedule.
The Storm’s announced 2020 schedule called for 10 home games at Alaska Airlines Arena. However, the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically changed the 2020 WNBA season. The league ultimately played its season in The IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, so Alaska Airlines Arena did not function as a normal Storm home venue during an actual 2020 regular season
University of Washington’s Alaska Airlines Arena — Everett
The Storm also planned to play home games at Angel Of The Winds Arena in Everett during the arena-construction period.
The 2020 schedule called for Seattle to move there after the Olympic break. Again, the pandemic prevented that planned home schedule from occurring. Florida — 2020 WNBA Bubble
The 2020 season deserves special mention.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the entire WNBA season was played at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
Consequently, the Storm technically had no conventional Seattle home games in 2020. Seattle won the WNBA championship in the Florida bubble.
In 2021, however, Angel Of The Winds Arena actually became a Storm home venue. The team opened the 2021 season there while COVID-19 restrictions limited attendance.
The Storm welcomed the Las Vegas Aces to Everett for the home opener on May 15, 2021.
Angel Of The Winds Arena — 2022–Present
The newly redeveloped Climate Pledge Arena opened at Seattle Center in October 2021. The Storm returned to downtown Seattle in 2022. The new arena was constructed beneath the historic roof associated with the former Seattle Center arena. It is now the permanent home of the Storm.
The Storm currently list Climate Pledge Arena as their home arena.
The Storm’s WNBA Hall of Famers
There is an important distinction here.
Several Naismith Basketball Hall of Famers have worn a Seattle Storm uniform, including Swin Cash, Yolanda Griffith, Katie Smith, Tina Thompson and Sheryl Swoopes.
However, their overall Hall of Fame careers were primarily established elsewhere.
For a list limited to players whose Hall of Fame legacy was substantially built as Seattle Storm players, the two defining names are:
Lauren Jackson
Lauren Jackson is one of the greatest players in Storm history and one of the greatest international basketball players ever produced by Australia. Seattle selected Jackson with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2001 WNBA Draft. She spent 12 WNBA seasons with Seattle from 2001 through 2012.
Jackson won:
Three WNBA MVP awards
Two WNBA championships
2010 WNBA Finals MVP
2007 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year
Seven WNBA All-Star selections
Seven All-WNBA First Team selections
Three WNBA scoring championships
She was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021. Her Hall of Fame profile identifies her as a three-time WNBA MVP and two-time champion with Seattle.
Jackson’s No. 15 is retired by the Storm.
Sue Bird
Sue Bird is the other defining Hall of Fame player in Storm history. Seattle selected Bird with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2002 WNBA Draft. She spent her entire WNBA career with Seattle, playing from 2002 through 2022.
Bird won four WNBA championships:
2004
2010
2018
2020
She was a 13-time WNBA All-Star and became the league’s all-time leader in assists.
Bird was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2025.
The Storm retired her No. 10 jersey in 2023.+
Hall of Fame players who played for Seattle but are excluded
The Storm’s official records also identify several other Hall of Famers who played for Seattle:
Swin Cash, Yolanda Griffith, Katie Smith, Tina Thompson,
Sheryl Swoopes
All are legitimate Hall of Famers, but their principal Hall of Fame credentials were not built primarily as Storm players. The Storm itself notes that all five were members of the WNBA’s W25 team, but their major careers included other franchises.
The Storm have produced two WNBA Rookie of the Year winners.
Jewell Loyd — 2015
Jewell Loyd was selected No. 1 overall by Seattle in the 2015 WNBA Draft. She became the first player in Storm history to win WNBA Rookie of the Year. Loyd averaged 10.7 points per game and led all rookies in scoring. She received 21 of 39 votes from the national media voting panel.
Breanna Stewart — 2016
One year later, Seattle selected Breanna Stewart with the No. 1 overall pick. Stewart immediately won the 2016 WNBA Rookie of the Year award. She finished sixth in the league in scoring, second in rebounding and third in blocks as a rookie.
Stewart therefore followed Loyd by becoming the Storm’s second consecutive Rookie of the Year winner. The WNBA’s official award history confirms the sequence: 2015 — Jewell Loyd, Seattle Storm.
2016 — Breanna Stewart, Seattle Storm
WNBA MVP Awards Won as a Storm Player
The Seattle Storm have produced seven regular-season WNBA MVP awards.
Lauren Jackson — Three MVP Awards
Jackson won the WNBA MVP award:
2003
2007
2010
She became one of only a handful of players to win the award three times.
Breanna Stewart — One MVP Award
Stewart won the WNBA MVP award in:
2018
That same year, she also won WNBA Finals MVP and led Seattle to the championship.
Sue Bird — No regular-season MVP
Sue Bird never won the WNBA regular-season MVP award.
Her importance to the Storm came through longevity, playmaking, leadership, four championships and extraordinary consistency rather than an individual regular-season MVP.
Total
The Storm therefore have:
Lauren Jackson — 3 MVPs
Breanna Stewart — 1 MVP
Total as Storm players — 4 WNBA regular-season MVP awards
The Four Storm Championships
2004 — First Championship
The 2004 Storm won the franchise’s first WNBA championship.
Lauren Jackson and Sue Bird became the foundation of Seattle’s first championship team.
The title established the Storm as a championship-level franchise.
2010 — Second Championship
Seattle returned to the top in 2010.
The Storm dominated the regular season and finished with a 28–6 record.
Lauren Jackson won both the regular-season MVP and Finals MVP.
The 2010 championship was particularly significant because it represented the second championship of the Jackson-Bird era.
2018 — Third Championship
The Storm returned to the championship in 2018.
Breanna Stewart was the league MVP and Finals MVP.
Sue Bird was the veteran leader.
Seattle swept the Washington Mystics in the Finals to win the championship.
Head coach Dan Hughes earned his first WNBA championship.
2020 — Fourth Championship
Seattle won its fourth championship in the unusual 2020 season. Because of the pandemic, the entire season was played at IMG Academy in Florida. The Storm defeated the Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA Finals. Breanna Stewart was named Finals MVP. The 2020 title gave Seattle four championships, placing the franchise among the WNBA’s most successful organizations.
The Breanna Stewart Era
Breanna Stewart deserves a special place in Storm history.
She arrived in 2016 as the No. 1 overall draft pick after winning four NCAA championships at Connecticut.
She immediately won:
Rookie of the Year
All-WNBA recognition
An Olympic gold medal
And eventually a WNBA championship
In 2018 she reached the peak of her Seattle career.
She won:
WNBA MVP
WNBA Finals MVP
WNBA championship
The Storm therefore had a player win both MVP awards while leading Seattle to a championship.
The Storm also paired Stewart with Jewell Loyd, another No. 1 overall pick and Rookie of the Year.
Together they formed one of the league’s most dangerous young duos.
The Legacy of the Seattle Storm
The Storm’s legacy extends beyond four championships.
The organization has been remarkably successful across different generations.
The Lauren Jackson era
Jackson established Seattle as a destination for elite international talent.
The Sue Bird era
Bird provided extraordinary continuity.
She spent 19 seasons with one franchise and became the league’s all-time assists leader.
The Stewart era
Stewart continued the championship tradition while becoming an MVP and Finals MVP.
The Storm’s official history also points to the extraordinary number of elite players connected with the organization. Eight Storm players were named to the WNBA’s W25 team, including Bird, Stewart, Jackson, Cash, Griffith, Smith, Swoopes and Thompson.
That is an extraordinary concentration of WNBA history within one franchise.
Most Outstanding Coach: Brian Agler
When looking at the entire history of the Storm, Brian Agler has the strongest case for the franchise’s most outstanding head coach. Agler coached Seattle from 2008 through 2014.
During his tenure, the Storm won the 2010 WNBA championship. The 2010 team went 28–6 during the regular season and dominated the league. Agler was also named 2010 WNBA Coach of the Year. His Seattle tenure produced one of the greatest regular seasons in WNBA history. The Storm’s championship under Agler was built around Lauren Jackson, Sue Bird and a disciplined team structure that became a model for the franchise.
Dan Hughes also deserves special recognition.
Hughes coached Seattle to championships in 2018 and 2020, giving him two Storm championships. He had previously won WNBA Coach of the Year twice with other franchises. Therefore, the choice between Agler and Hughes depends on the measurement being used: Agler: 2010 championship, 2010 Coach of the Year and one of the greatest regular seasons in league history. Hughes: two Seattle championships, in 2018 and 2020. For overall Storm coaching legacy, Agler’s long tenure and 2010 championship make him a particularly significant choice.
Most Outstanding Player: Sue Bird
Lauren Jackson has an extremely strong, Most Outstanding Player claim as the greatest individual player in Storm history. She won three MVP awards and two championships with Seattle. However, when the entire history of the franchise is considered, Sue Bird represents the most enduring individual symbol of the Seattle Storm. Bird played her entire professional WNBA career with Seattle. She was there for all four championships. She played alongside Lauren Jackson during the 2004 and 2010 championship eras. She played alongside Breanna Stewart during the 2018 and 2020 championship eras. That means Bird was a central player in four different championship teams spanning 16 years.
She also became the WNBA’s all-time assist leader and played more than two decades for the same franchise.
For that reason, Bird can reasonably be described as the face of the Seattle Storm franchise. The Seattle Storm’s Place in WNBA History
The Seattle Storm are unusual because their success has been sustained through multiple generations. The franchise won its first championship in 2004 with Lauren Jackson and Sue Bird.
It won again in 2010 with Jackson and Bird. It won in 2018 with Breanna Stewart and Bird. It won again in 2020 with Stewart and Bird. That gives the Storm four championships spread across 16 years.
The franchise has also produced:
Four WNBA championships
Four regular-season MVP awards by Storm players
Two Rookie of the Year winners
Two Naismith Basketball Hall of Famers whose primary WNBA legacies were built in Seattle
Two retired numbers
Multiple WNBA Finals MVPs
Multiple generations of All-WNBA players
The Storm’s current records list Sue Bird as the franchise’s all-time leader in points, assists and steals, while Lauren Jackson leads in rebounds and blocks.
Conclusion: A Seattle Basketball Institution
The Seattle Storm have grown from a WNBA expansion team into one of the league’s signature franchises.
Their history includes the uncertainty surrounding the Super Sonics’ departure, the remarkable decision by Seattle women to purchase and save the Storm, championship teams built around Lauren Jackson and Sue Bird, the emergence of Breanna Stewart and Jewell Loyd, and the team’s return to a new downtown arena. The Storm’s legacy is represented by four championship banners, but the organization means more than its trophies. It is Lauren Jackson’s dominance. It is Sue Bird’s longevity. It is Breanna Stewart’s MVP championship season. It is Jewell Loyd becoming Rookie of the Year.
It is the ownership group that kept women’s professional basketball in Seattle. And it is generations of Seattle fans who have continued to support the Storm through different arenas, different rosters and different eras. The Seattle Storm have been one of the WNBA’s most consistent championship franchises because their identity has survived every transition.
From KeyArena to Climate Pledge Arena, from Lauren Jackson to Sue Bird to Breanna Stewart and beyond, the Storm have built a legacy that is inseparable from the history of the WNBA itself.
Artie Fischal
