Seattle waived Aleksandra Crvendakic on Thursday
SEATTLE – The Seattle Storm today announced its roster for Opening Night presented by Swedish, as the franchise hosts the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday at 6 p.m. PT. The Storm waived Aleksandra Crvendakic, bringing its roster to 12 players.
Under first-year head coach Dan Hughes, the Storm is seeking its third straight playoff appearance and first winning season since 2011.
Headlining the 2018 roster is the Storm’s ‘big three’ of Breanna Stewart, Sue Bird and Jewell Loyd. Stewart, a 2017 All-Star, finished second in the league in scoring last season with 19.9 points per game and became the fastest player in league history to reach 1,000 points and 500 rebounds (55 games). Bird, a 10-time All-Star, became the WNBA’s all-time assist leader with dime No. 2,600 last season and averaged a career-best 6.6 assists per game, while Loyd had a breakout year offensively, posting 17.7 points per game.
Veterans Noelle Quinn, Alysha Clark and Crystal Langhorne are set to return in 2018. Quinn begins her 12th year in the league and made four starts in 2017, while Clark has spent all six WNBA seasons in Seattle and averaged 8.2 points per game last season. Langhorne bested her own Storm single-season shooting percentage record in 2017, firing at a 64.7 percent clip and averaging 12.4 points per game.
Seattle strengthened its frontcourt in the offseason, signing 6-4 center Courtney Paris, a two-time Peak Performer for rebounding, and acquiring 2017 WNBA Champion Natasha Howard from Minnesota. In the preseason, Howard averaged nine points, 4.5 boards and 1.5 blocks per game.
Sharpshooters Sami Whitcomb and Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis will add immediate scoring this season. Whitcomb enters her second year in the league after totaling 4.5 points and 1.7 rebounds per game as a rookie, while Mosqueda-Lewis will begin her fourth season in Seattle, scoring 4.6 points per contest in 2017.
In the 2018 WNBA Draft, the Storm nabbed Jordin Canada as the fifth overall pick and Teana Muldrow at No. 29. The Pac-12 Conference and UCLA’s all-time assists leader, Canada has already made a name for herself in the league, recording 32 points, six steals and six dimes in the two preseason wins over the Mercury. A former West Virginia Mountaineer, Muldrow adds a defensive presence and buried a critical three down the stretch in Seattle’s 73-69 win over Phoenix on May 8.
Seattle went 15-19 overall in 2017, but put together a critical four-game winning streak down the stretch to earn its 13th all-time postseason bid.
On Sunday vs. Phoenix, the first 3,000 fans in attendance will receive a Sue Bird bobblehead to celebrate her league record-breaking assist last season at Washington, and her game-worn jersey from that contest will also be on display, allowing fans to take photos and capture a visual taste of WNBA history.
Fans can secure the best seats in the house with Storm 360 Memberships, available now, starting at $216, available online or by calling (206) 217-WNBA (9622). Packages and group discounts are available at 206-217-WNBA (9622).