The Seattle Storm are playing their 25th season in the WNBA, led by longtime guard Jewell Loyd.
Loyd made history last year, breaking the WNBA's single-season scoring record, but it wasn't enough to get her team to the playoffs. The Storm have some new players this year - two of whom are All-Star veterans like Loyd.
Loyd talked about the new additions and what she expects to happen this season with KNKX Morning Edition host Kirsten Kendrick for our Going Deep series.
Click the "Listen" above to hear the full interview.
Interview Highlights
On quickly ramping up for the season and getting players to gel
Honestly, for this team that we're on now, its kind of happened super authentically and organically. I think for everyone who's a part of this team now, definitely with Nneka (Ogwumike) and Sky (Diggins-Smith), we're coming in from different backgrounds and different teams. The mindset of what we're trying to get to, is all the same. Even the people we drafted came in with the mindset that they want to learn, they want to get better. So for us, it's been actually seamless.
On the shift away from playing overseas in the offseason
It is a shift, for sure...my view is you need to do what you need to to support your family. I understand why people go overseas and why that's still a thing. At the same time there's a lot of other opportunities that are coming up through off seasons, through marketing, and things like that. This year, I had a chance to be an ambassador for the WNBA. I went to South Africa and watched and did a couple games out there for the BAL.
On what might come out of the WNBA's big moment right now
This game has been amazing for a while now and people are now just kind of hopping on this wave. And you know, welcome. Our job doesn't really change. We've been obviously advocating for more people to watch and things like that but people are here now. And so our job is to continue to put on a show and do what we do.
On calls for more equity with pay and broadcast rights
It's a negotiation and we know that there's a shift going to happen. It has to because like we said before, there's a need and want for the sport. That's inevitable with any sporting elite that as things grow and progress, things and payment and marketing and all those things will eventually change as well.
On being in the second standalone team facility in the WBNA
It's awesome. We definitely deserved it from where we were before to now, you kind of go back and think 'how the hell did we do it for so long?' But knowing how strong this league is and how amazing our ownerships have been in making sure we had everything we need, we just kind of got it done. Now we're in this building and this is such a testament to all the people who have played here, all the workers, all the helpers, everything that has been part of the Storm for so many years.
On coming off a historic season last year and her personal mindset for this year
I'm feeling great. Where I'm at in my career, my playing, my body, everything feels really good. Last year, I didn't know too much about the scoring stuff, that was all the outside stuff. That never was my focus. I have goals of mine and I stay the same so my job hasn't changed, my position doesn't change, how I go about the season doesn't change. I'm excited.
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