Coach Noelle Quinn will not continue at the helm of the Seattle Storm in 2026, the organization announced on Sunday. The Storm team fell to the Las Vegas Aces 2-1 in the first round of the playoffs, a series that concluded on Thursday. Quinn, 40, played in the WNBA from 2007 to 2018, including two stints with the Storm. She finished her playing career with a WNBA championship with the Storm in 2018, and then became an assistant to coach Dan Hughes in 2019. She took over as head coach at the start of the 2021 season, when Hughes resigned after six games for health reasons. Quinn, the only African-American head coach in the WNBA, compiled a 97-89 regular season record and a 4-8 playoff record. The Storm lost in the second round in 2021, in the semifinals in 2022, and in the first round in the last two seasons. They failed to qualify for the playoffs in 2023.
The Storm had a 23-21 record this season and earned the number 7 seed in the playoffs. They lost their first game 102-77 in Las Vegas, but bounced back with an 86-83 win in Game 2 in Seattle. They had a chance to beat the number 2 seeded Aces in the deciding Game 3 in Las Vegas, but missed a shot in the final seconds, losing 74-73.“On behalf of our organization, I would like to thank Noelle for her time with the Storm,” stated General Manager Talisa Rhea. “Her commitment to the continued success of our organization and to the development of our players was unsurpassed. She put us in a position to win at the highest level of the game and for that, we are grateful.”
Talisa Rhea
Quinn’s time as head coach with Seattle had high points, such as the run to the semifinals in 2022, which marked the end of the career of the legendary Storm point guard, Sue Bird. However, low moments included a dispute between Quinn and her staff and star guard Jewell Loyd, which erupted last year and led to Loyd’s departure. Loyd reported harassment and bullying by the Storm’s coaching staff. The Storm organization conducted an independent investigation into the allegations, which concluded in December, finding no violations. Then, the Storm traded Loyd at her request, and she spent this season with the Aces. After the Aces’ victory in Seattle on June 1, Loyd alleged that an assistant coach from the Storm insulted her. The WNBA reviewed the complaint, but no disciplinary action was taken.“I am very proud of my team, of the growth they showed, of the resilience to be in this moment,” Quinn said after the game. “I wanted this so badly for this group, because they worked so hard. That’s the competitor in me. I played so much basketball, sometimes I wish I were out there with them. This was a group that was very committed to each other and to what we wanted to do this year.”
Noelle Quinn
