Jewell Loyd: “At Peace” Ahead of Matchup Against Former Team, Seattle Storm
Las Vegas – Jewell Loyd, star of the Las Vegas Aces, is “at peace” heading into the first-round playoff matchup against her former WNBA team, the Seattle Storm. The situation comes after a tense separation before being traded in February. Aces and Storm will face each other in the first round for the second consecutive season, with the first game scheduled for Sunday at the Michelob Ultra Arena. Loyd, who played 10 seasons and won two championships with the Storm, was selected at number 1 in 2015. After the Aces swept Loyd and the Storm 2-0 in the first round last season, Loyd reported harassment by the Storm’s coaching staff and requested a trade. The Storm conducted an independent investigation into the allegations and found no violation. Loyd has stated that he is not dwelling on the past and is solely focused on helping the Aces, ranked second, advance.Loyd returned to Seattle to face the Storm twice this season, with the Storm winning the first encounter in May and the Aces winning the second in June. Loyd alleged that an assistant coach from the Storm insulted her during the second game in Seattle. The WNBA reviewed the complaint, but no disciplinary action was taken. About playing in Seattle, Loyd commented: “The first time I went back, it was a little strange. Being a veteran in this league, I understand that there are ups and downs. You see a lot of changes in the league and in the dynamics. Here, with the Aces, people see my value. They see who I am, my character, and my reputation. I am much more than a basketball player here. I feel like I can be myself.” Loyd, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and six-time All-Star, has been a starter for most of her WNBA career. She averaged at least 15 points per game in eight of her 10 seasons in Seattle, leading the WNBA in scoring with 24.7 PPG in 2023. However, she shifted to coming off the bench in late July, shortly before the Aces began what is now a 16-game winning streak in early August. Loyd suggested the change to coach Becky Hammon, saying she felt she could better help the team in that role.As the season goes on, it’s just basketball, right? I’ve figured it out. It doesn’t feel like anything. I’m at peace with everything.
Jewell Loyd
Hammon praised Loyd, who finished the regular season averaging 11.2 points and 3.2 rebounds. “For someone with her resume, it’s almost unheard of,” Hammon said about Loyd offering to give up her starting position. “At first, I hesitated. … I wanted her to know that my confidence in her hadn’t diminished one bit. After a couple more games, she talked to me again, and at that point, I wanted to do whatever would put her at ease. You know, maybe I should have done it sooner. She was probably right all along.” Regarding Loyd’s past issues with Seattle, Hammon said that she and Loyd haven’t spoken much about it. “I knew there were some difficulties, but it’s not like I’m here criticizing the Seattle Storm,” Hammon said. “We’ve had some conversations here and there, but nothing in depth. It’s never gone into any kind of detail. I can tell you that she’s been one of my easiest players to coach. She wants to do anything, whatever it takes to win, even going to the bench.” “But in those situations [facing a former team], I feel like the first time you play against them, there’s going to be something. No matter what I had said, I knew there would be some emotions. I didn’t want to make a problem out of it, because it’s probably already a problem. So I told myself: ‘Go out and play solid.’ If anything, I was mad at us as a group because I didn’t think we backed her up with the way we played that first game in Seattle. They kicked our butts.” A lot has happened since then, with the Aces reaching second place after starting their winning streak with a .500 record. When asked about Loyd on Saturday, the Storm only talked about how difficult it would be to defend her and the other Las Vegas players. In Las Vegas’ 105-75 victory in Los Angeles in the season finale on Thursday, Loyd scored seven of 22 three-pointers, a WNBA regular season record. Skylar Diggins, a Seattle player, commented: “You see how electrifying the players can be from the bench. We all know Jewell can shoot the ball. We definitely have to defend the 3-point line. We watched her last game.”Here, with the Aces, people see my value. They see who I am, my character, and my reputation. I am much more than a basketball player here. I feel like I can be myself.
Jewell Loyd
