WNBA veteran averaging 8.5 ppg and 4.7 rpg over 10 seasons
SEATTLE — The Seattle Storm announced today the signing of free agent forward Jantel Lavender. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“Jantel’s toughness, veteran leadership, and championship level experience complement our roster tremendously,” said Noelle Quinn, Storm Head Coach. “She is a premier forward in our league with offensive and defensive versatility and I am excited to have her join the Storm this season.”
The 10-year WNBA veteran spent her first eight seasons with the Los Angeles Sparks before playing with Chicago in 2019 and Indiana in 2021. She won a WNBA Championship with the Sparks in 2016, also earning WNBA Sixth Player of the Year that season. For her career, Lavender has amassed 2,672 points, 1,480 rebounds and 326 assists—one of just 79 players in WNBA history with those numbers. However, she is the only one of those players to reach those numbers while playing less then 21 minutes per game.
“I’m super excited to compete with this team,” said Lavender. “Seattle has won and knows what it takes to win. I feel their experience matches what I want out of basketball at this point in my career. I can’t wait to get to Seattle to start prepping for what I know will be a great season.”
In 2021, Lavender averaged 6.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 20.0 minutes per game in 27 games, making 14 starts. Over the past months, Lavender played with Athletes Unlimited where she finished ranked eighth in the AU’s unique scoring leaderboard with 4,473 overall points. In 15 games, she averaged 14.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists while shooting 54.9% from the field and 47.8% from three-point range. She closed out the AU schedule with an impressive 27-point, 15-rebound double-double, hitting 13-of-22 from the field in the game.
Lavender hit several career milestones last season, opening the year with a nine-point, 10-rebound performance against New York to reach 2,500 career points. She currently stands 328 points shy of 3,000. In addition, Lavender recorded her 300th career assist against the Storm on June 1, then played in her 300th career game when the teams met on June 15 at Indiana.
The Seattle Storm opens the 2022 season on Friday, May 6, hosting the Minnesota Lynx in its return home, playing its first full season in Seattle since 2018 at the newly renovated Climate Pledge Arena. Tickets are available at http://ticketcentral.seattlestormbasketball.com, or by calling 206-217-WNBA (9622).