Storm: Noelle Quinn Out After Playoff Defeat, End of Cycle

Noelle Quinn Steps Down as Head Coach of the Seattle Storm

Coach Noelle Quinn will not continue as the head coach of the Seattle Storm in 2026, the organization announced on Sunday. The Storm were defeated 2-1 by the Las Vegas Aces 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 concluded 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 due to health issues. Quinn, the only Black head coach in the WNBA, finished with 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 did not qualify for the playoffs in 2023.

On behalf of our organization, I would like to thank Noelle for her time with the Storm. 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, General Manager

The Storm had a 23-21 record this season and earned the seventh 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 the opportunity to beat the Aces, the second seed, in the decisive Game 3 in Las Vegas, but missed a shot in the final seconds and lost 74-73.

I am very proud of my team, of the growth they showed, of the resilience to be in this moment. I really wanted this for this group, because they worked very hard. That’s the competitor in me. I played a lot of basketball, sometimes I wish I were 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

Quinn’s time as head coach in 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, the low points included a dispute between Quinn and her staff and star guard Jewell Loyd that intensified last year and led to Loyd’s departure.