Storm announce Noelle Quinn won't be returning as coach

SEATTLE — The Storm parted ways with coach Noelle Quinn, the team announced Sunday after 4 1/2 years at the helm.

Dismissing the 40-year-old Quinn comes in the wake of Thursday’s stunning 74-73 loss on the road to the Las Vegas Aces in Game 3, which eliminated the Storm in the first round of the WNBA playoffs for the second straight year.

Even though No. 7 seed Seattle pushed No. 2 seed Las Vegas to the brink and came within a possession or two in the final seconds of advancing to the semifinals, it was another early playoff exit for an All-Star laden team considered a dark-horse title contender when the season began.

“On behalf of our organization, I would like to thank Noelle for her time with the Storm. Her commitment to the ongoing success of our organization and to furthering the development of our players was second to none,” said Storm general manager Talisa Rhea in a statement. “She put us in a position to win at the highest levels of the game and for that, we are grateful.”

Despite an abundance of talent, the Storm finished seventh in the standings at 23-21 and seemingly Quinn needed an extended playoff run to save her job.

Following an early ouster last year, Quinn said: “I’m on borrowed time, so I realize the importance of not wasting moments.”

While the Storm regressed in the win column from last year, they advanced a little bit further in the playoffs. Amid off-court turmoil and on-court disappointments, players said Quinn never lost the locker room and many believed she did enough to warrant a return.

“I know we had a very tight-knit group when it came to the culture, and you’re hoping that you see a lot of pieces back together,” forward Nneka Ogwumike said. “This is a league where anything can happen. I’ve been playing for a really long time. The reality is this team is not going to be the same next year. No team is ever the same from year to year.

“But I do know that we have a lot of people that bought into what we were about this year. I’m very grateful to be a part of it. … I still believe in this organization and I know I’m not the only one who thinks that.”

Quinn made history on May 31, 2021 after her predecessor Dan Hughes abruptly retired and she became the Storm’s first Black head coach.

“They crawled, so I can walk. I sit on those shoulders,” said Quinn who named the 18 previous Black female WNBA coaches during her introductory news conference. “For me, it’s important that I’m not just a woman. I’m a Black woman. I sit with that every day. Sometimes that can be a negative. A double negative for me, to be a woman and to be Black. But I’m empowered in that. There’s value in that. My experience is in that. It shapes me. It has molded me. And that is who I am. I am super honored to hold this.

“… But I’m not moved by a title. I’m not moved by money. I’m not moved by championships. I love to win. But what moves me is my impact and I know that I have impacted somebody. I hold that dear to my heart. Everyday I will move in a way that honors that and honors these ladies’ legacy that have paved the way for me to be here.”

At the time, Quinn, who had two stints (2013-14, 2016-18) in Seattle as a player and helped the Storm win a WNBA title as an assistant in 2020, was heralded as someone with intricate knowledge of the four-time championship franchise who can bridge the team’s past and its future.

However, she didn’t win enough games — especially when it mattered the most — with flush rosters that included all-time greats Sue Bird, Breanna Stewart, Jewell Loyd, Skylar Diggins and Ogwumike.

During her five-year coaching tenure, Quinn compiled a 97-89 record while making four trips to the playoffs. The Storm had a 4-8 postseason record and never advanced beyond the second round under Quinn.

After losing Bird to retirement and Stewart in free agency, Quinn oversaw a roster overhaul in 2023 that resulted in a dismal next-to-last place finish at 11-29.

The addition of free-agent standouts Ogwumike and Diggins in 2024 reinvigorated the Storm who improved to 25-15 and finished fifth in the standings. They were swept in the first round of the playoffs.

Last November, Quinn was at the center of a controversy when Loyd alleged she was bullied and harassed by the Storm coaching staff. An independent investigation failed to find evidence to support the claims, which prompted Loyd’s trade request on Dec. 4 that sent her to the Aces.

A retooled Seattle roster started the 2025 season with a 3-4 record before finding its footing and winning 11 of the next 16 games.

The Storm sent three players to the All-Star Game including Ogwumike, Diggins and Gabby Williams, who made her first appearance, which proved to be one of the highlights of the season.

They entered the All-Star break fourth in the standings at 14-9 and attempted to fortify a push for a title with a trade on Aug. 5 that acquired All-Star guard Brittney Sykes from the Washington Mystics for their 2026 first-round draft pick.

The deal didn’t net the intended results and coincided with a summer swoon in which the Storm went 3-9, including a six-game losing streak, immediately following the All-Star break.

The Storm fell to 17-18 and eighth in the standings on Aug. 17 — a half-game before Washington and Los Angeles — before winning six of its last nine games to clinch a playoff berth in the regular-season finale.

One of Quinn’s biggest shortcomings was the Storm’s 10-12 record at home, including 4-4 against non-playoff teams despite playing in front of a raucous fan base that sold out Climate Pledge Arena in 10 of 22 games.

Quinn was also unable to win enough close games.

Including the playoffs, the Storm were 15-16 in clutch games — situations in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime when the score differential is five points or less.

The Storm embodied Quinn’s steely-cool and intensely competitive personality during Tuesday’s 86-83 thriller in Game 2, in which they erased a 12-point deficit in the fourth quarter to avoid elimination.

After the biggest win of her career, in many ways Quinn’s tenure with the Storm came to an end in the final 13 seconds Tuesday when Seattle surrendered a game-winning putback and missed a midrange jumper as time expired.

“I just want it so bad for this group,” Quinn said. “They worked hard. That’s the competitor in me. I played so much basketball sometimes I wish I’m out there with them. The group is so committed to each other and what we wanted to do this year.

“We had a tough August, but it didn’t show in September. The fight and the resiliency that they had, that was my emotion for them. I’ve been in championship atmospheres and games. I’ve won two, and just wanted this group to feel that.”

Firing Quinn begins what’s expected to be a historically transformative offseason for the Storm and the WNBA, whose current collective bargaining agreement expires on Oct. 31.

Seattle will be among 15 teams — including expansion franchises in Portland and Toronto — vying for more than 100 free agents once the new CBA is in place.

The Storm players hitting the open market: Ogwumike, Diggins, Williams, Sykes, Ezi Magbegor, Erica Wheeler, Tiffany Mitchell and Katie Lou Samuelson are unrestricted free agents. Zia Cooke and Mackenzie Holmes are reserved free agents.

Promising rookie center Dominique Malonga and veteran guard Lexie Brown are under contract next season as well as Jordan Horston and Nika Muhl, who both missed the 2025 season due to knee injuries.

Seattle also has two first round picks, including a lottery pick from the Los Angeles Sparks and the Aces’ pick in next year’s WNBA draft, which are attractive assets to find its next head coach.

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