Seattle Storm

Seattle Storm star Tina Charles added to her legendary career Sunday.

In the second quarter against the Atlanta Dream, Charles became the fourth player in WNBA history to score 7,000 points, joining Diana Taurasi, Tina Thompson and Tamika Catchings.

Tina Charles became the fourth WNBA player in history to reach the 7K club, joining:

- Diana Taurasi
- Tina Thompson
- Tamika Catchings

👏

(via @NBATV)https://t.co/L4xW22aALH

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 24, 2022

Charles got off to a scorching start against Atlanta on Sunday, scoring 20 points on 7-of-8 shooting and grabbing 10 rebounds in the first half alone. It's her seventh straight game scoring in double figures.

The 2012 WNBA MVP, Charles has already established herself as one of the best players in league history. She's an eight-time All-Star and was selected to an All-WNBA team nine times, with five selections to the first team. She's a two-time scoring champion and four-time rebounding champion, and she has been honored on an All-Defensive team four times.

Charles began the season playing with the Phoenix Mercury, but she parted ways with the team after 18 games and signed with the Storm as a free agent. Despite not winning a championship in her career, the 33-year-old said it's more important to her to have the right people around her.

"At the end of the day, championship or not in my career, but the way I went out was playing with upstanding individuals, upstanding character players and coaching staff," Charles told reporters after signing with Seattle. "That's not to say that's not what it was in Phoenix, but I just felt that this opportunity, there was more there from what I saw and what I heard and having close relationships with the players."

Playing alongside stars like Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart, this might be Charles' best chance at winning a title. The Storm are 17-10 entering Sunday and sit in fourth place in the standings.

The Chicago Sky held on for a 78-74 victory over the Seattle Storm on Wednesday at Wintrust Arena in Chicago.

Emma Meesseman and Allie Quigley combined to form a potent inside-outside combination for the Sky's offense. Quigley had a team-best 18 points and shot 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. Meesseman shot 7-of-12 en route to a double-double (16 points and 10 rebounds).

Meesseman's six assists were critical as well with Courtney Vandersloot unavailable.

That helped Chicago overcome strong showings from Breanna Stewart, who scored a game-high 24 points, and Jewell Loyd, who chipped in with 18.

Wednesday saw Sue Bird make what could be her penultimate trip to the Windy City. The 41-year-old is in the middle of her farewell tour after confirming she's retiring after the 2022 season.

For some fans, watching the 13-time All-Star ride off into the sunset was a priority.

Had to see Sue Bird live before she retires at the end of the season 🐐 pic.twitter.com/Y2J6I7HYHt

— Charlie Brown (@moderntale) July 20, 2022

Bucket-list: watch @S10Bird, @breannastewart, and @Candace_Parker play in real life

☑️☑️☑️ pic.twitter.com/CqrmuUBeXt

— Lauren Helmbrecht (@lmhelmbrecht) July 20, 2022

Bird finished with nine points and four assists in 30 minutes on the floor.

SUUUUUUUUE WITH THE TOUGH SHOT 😱@S10Bird x #TakeCover pic.twitter.com/2flWinmZ2e

— Seattle Storm (@seattlestorm) July 20, 2022

🔥🔥🔥 @S10Bird 👉 @gabbywilliams15 #TakeCover pic.twitter.com/VrwgCsICdN

— Seattle Storm (@seattlestorm) July 20, 2022

This was also one of the last encounters between Bird and another legend, Candace Parker. In addition to earning the victory, Parker outpaced Bird individually. The two-time WNBA MVP had 10 points, eight rebounds, three assists and one steal.

Court Vision on 💯#skytown pic.twitter.com/J2L8CCglLw

— Chicago Sky (@chicagosky) July 20, 2022

Allemand (@JulieAllemand) ➡ Parker (@Candace_Parker) gives the Sky their largest lead of today's matchup on @NBATV 👏 pic.twitter.com/JaNlIltUSR

— WNBA (@WNBA) July 20, 2022

Let's count how many times Candace Parker has gotten one of Seattle guards deep into the post and Chicago has settled for jump shots.

I understand her frustration at her team

— Nov (@WNBAUncut) July 20, 2022

https://twitter.com/darcangel21/status/1549804934064898049

The Sky's front court has been terrific today. The ability to play two of either Emma Meesseman, Azurá Stevens and Candace Parker is a cheat code on defense.

— James Kay (@James_M_Kay) July 20, 2022

Entering Wednesday, the Sky and Storm were first and third, respectively, in the WNBA standings. The two franchises might be seeing one another in the postseason, so this could've been a preview of a semifinals or Finals series.

https://twitter.com/em_adler/status/1549807386210320386

Seven points for the Storm off four Sky turnovers already. If there's one thing the Sky should worry about as the playoffs loom, it's the turnover differential.

— Chris Pennant (The Black Sydney Carton) (@kwandarykitten) July 20, 2022

Seattle-Chicago is going to be a heck of a Finals series

— Gabe Ibrahim (@gabe_ibrahim) July 20, 2022

Chicago and Seattle will be back in action Friday night. The Sky host the Dallas Wings, while the Storm hit the road to play the Phoenix Mercury. The latter will be Bird's final regular-season encounter with longtime friend/on-court rival Diana Taurasi.

Sue Bird added another milestone to her iconic career Wednesday night.

The Seattle Storm's 88-78 win over the Las Vegas Aces gave Bird 324 victories as a WNBA player, the most in the history of the league.

THE MOST WINS IN WNBA HISTORY 🔥@S10Bird | @seattlestorm pic.twitter.com/idocGHx5jP

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 30, 2022

Bird passed Basketball Hall of Famer Lindsay Whalen (323) as the winningest player in WNBA history.

"It's not only the assists with Sue, it's making big plays, the big shots. I thought she played great defense tonight," Storm head coach Noelle Quinn told reporters after the win. "Those intangibles that she brings, but also: She's the GOAT, an amazing player with a long career and deserving of every single record she's about to break because she's played 20-something years."

Whalen set the mark in 15 seasons between the Connecticut Sun and Minnesota Lynx from 2004-18.

Bird announced earlier this month that this will be her final season. She is arguably the most decorated player in WNBA history.

In her 19th season with the Storm, Bird is the league's all-time leader in career assists (3,142), has been named an All-Star 13 times, been named to the All-WNBA team eight times (five first-team selections) and has won four WNBA titles. She's been included on the WNBA Anniversary team every five years since 2006.

The UConn alum is also a five-time Olympic gold medalist with Team USA and won five EuroLeague titles with Spartak Moscow Region.

Since being drafted No. 1 overall in 2002, Bird has led the Storm to 14 winning seasons and 17 playoff appearances. Their 12-7 record through 19 games this season is second in the Western Conference, behind the Aces (14-5).

Bird will look to add to her record win total Friday when Seattle hosts the Indiana Fever at Climate Pledge Arena.

Former Phoenix Mercury center Tina Charles is expected to sign with the Seattle Storm, according to WNBA insider Khristina Williams.

The news comes after Charles agreed to terms on a contract divorce with the Mercury on Saturday. When it was announced, Phoenix general manager Jim Pitman said in a statement that "it was best for both parties to go our separate ways at this time."

Pitman added: "Due to circumstances both in and out of our control, our season has not gone according to our plan, and we will continue to pursue all avenues for improvement."

The Mercury are on a three-game losing streak and sit fifth in the Western Conference with a 6-12 record.

Charles signed a one-year deal with Phoenix in February and has been playing as the team's starting center, filling in for Brittney Griner, who remains detained in Russia after officials said they found vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage.

The 33-year-old has been playing solid basketball for the Mercury, averaging 17.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 16 games while shooting 44.1 percent from the floor and 36.4 percent from deep.

Before signing with the Mercury, Charles played for the Washington Mystics, Connecticut Sun and New York Liberty. The Sun selected her first overall in the 2010 WNBA draft out of UConn.

Charles was the 2012 WNBA MVP and is an eight-time All-Star, including four straight All-Star selections from 2017-21. In addition, she is a three-time Olympic gold medalist and won two NCAA titles with UConn.

Charles will join a Seattle lineup that includes WNBA legend Sue Bird, in addition to Breanna Stewart, Jewell Lloyd and Ezi Magbegor, who serves as the team's starting center.

Through 14 games this season, Magbegor is averaging 12.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.1 steals and 2.6 blocks while shooting 52.5 percent from the floor. It's unclear if she'll be replaced by Charles.

The Storm are second in the Western Conference with an 11-6 record and appear primed to win another title before Bird enters retirement after the season. If they were to win the WNBA title, it would mark Charles' first championship win.

Legendary Seattle Storm guard Sue Bird announced Thursday that she will retire at the conclusion of the 2022 WNBA season.

Bird said she has "loved every single minute" of her career:

I’ve decided this will be my final year. I have loved every single minute, and still do, so gonna play my last year, just like this little girl played her first ☺️ #TheFinalYear @seattlestorm pic.twitter.com/Uo2YqCCKUD

— Sue Bird (@S10Bird) June 16, 2022

The 41-year-old is in her 21st WNBA season, all of which have been spent with the Storm.

Bird is one of the most decorated and successful players in the history of women's basketball across college, professional and international competition.

Before getting selected No. 1 overall by the Storm in the 2002 WNBA draft, she starred at UConn, where she was a two-time national champion and the 2002 Associated Press College Player of the Year.

The success carried over to the WNBA where Bird has become a 12-time All-Star, four-time champion and three-time assists leader. She was selected to the WNBA's 10th, 15th, 20th and 25th anniversary teams.

Bird is the WNBA's all-time leader in assists with 3,114 and games played with 559. She also ranks fourth in steals with 700 and seventh in scoring with 6,639 points.

In addition to the WNBA, Bird has played professionally in Russia for Dynamo Moscow, Spartak Moscow Region and UMMC Ekaterinburg.

Bird has won five titles in the Russian Premier League and five EuroLeague titles, along with two Europe SuperCup championships.

The native of Syosset, New York, has long been one of the faces of USA Basketball as well, winning four world championships and five consecutive Olympic gold medals from 2004 through 2020.

At last year's Summer Games in Tokyo, Bird was the female flag bearer for the United States during the opening ceremony.

The Storm are 9-5 this season, placing them second in the Western Conference. They'll try to send Bird into retirement as a five-time champion, which would break a tie with several others for the most by a player in WNBA history.

United States women's national team star Megan Rapinoe threatened Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson with a cease-and-desist order Thursday over the XFL's new branding, which is very similar to that of Togethxr, a company co-founded by Rapinoe's fiancee, Seattle Storm point guard Sue Bird.

Bird, USWNT forward Alex Morgan and two-time Olympic gold medalists Chloe Kim and Simone Manuel founded Togethxr, a new media and commerce company "where culture, activism, lifestyle and sports converge," last year.

https://twitter.com/mPinoe/status/1512221115531214849

Well doesn’t this looks familiar 🧐🥸@XFL2023 @togethxr @TheRock pic.twitter.com/MDv77qypYE

— Sue Bird (@S10Bird) April 7, 2022

Togethxr confirmed Friday on Twitter that it has "issued a legal notice" regarding the XFL's new branding.

Too often the work & creativity of women is overlooked & undervalued.

Diversity & equality are the norm around here. We’re thrilled to see the XFL embrace inclusivity but this rebrand ain’t it. We’ve issued a legal notice & will continue to protect the important work we’re doing pic.twitter.com/QoNAfx4FbK

— TOGETHXR (@togethxr) April 8, 2022

Johnson revealed the new XFL branding Thursday and wrote on Twitter that the "X represents the intersection of dreams and opportunity." 

Pumped to reveal our new @XFL2023 logo as we build our organization and shape our one of a kind, hungry XFL culture.
X represents the INTERSECTION OF DREAMS & OPPORTUNITY.
To all our XFL players, coaches, fans;
You bring the dreams - we’ll bring the opportunity.
Now LFG!#XFL2023 pic.twitter.com/ucbSjiBVwf

— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) April 6, 2022

Johnson, along with Dany Garcia and Redbird Capital, bought the XFL out of bankruptcy court for $15 million in 2021. The league was originally founded by WWE chairman and CEO Vince McMahon in 2001. 

After the XFL folded following one season, McMahon revived the league in 2020. However, the season was canceled during its first year back because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The XFL is expected to return in February 2023 and has a collaboration agreement with the NFL. Cities and teams have yet to be announced. 

Although Seattle Storm legend Sue Bird hasn't yet signed a deal for 2022, she announced in January she would be returning for a 19th WNBA season, and it appears the fans are a big reason why she'll once again take the floor. 

Bird told ESPN's Mechelle Voepel that fans chanting "One more year" toward her following Seattle's overtime loss to Phoenix in the playoffs helped sway her to return for another season:

It really didn't hit me in that moment until the fans chanted. And then I was like, 'Oh, they know it, too? They're sensing this also?' It's weird because it immediately changed my perspective. Had the buzzer gone off and I just went home, I probably would have retired.

But having that moment, it kind of changed some things for me. During the drive home, there was a wide range of emotions, as you can imagine.

Bird is one of the best players in WNBA history. She is the league's all-time assists leader, has won four WNBA titles and has been named an All-Star 12 times. In addition, she has also won five Olympic gold medals as a member of Team USA. 

The 41-year-old has been consistent throughout her career and finished the 2021 season averaging 10 points, 2.6 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game while shooting 43.1 percent from the field and 41.9 percent from deep. 

Over her career, Bird is averaging 12 points, 2.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists while shooting 43 percent from the field and 39.3 percent from deep. 

Bird's hope in returning for another season would be to win a fifth WNBA title, and the Storm have already made moves this offseason to create a championship-winning squad. Seattle is bringing back Breanna Stewart, Jewell Loyd and Mercedes Russell, and Briann January is joining the team. 

Jewell Loyd is returning to the Seattle Storm.

The Associated Press' Doug Feinberg reported Monday that Loyd and teammate Breanna Stewart reached agreements with the team.

Seattle announced Jan. 14 it had applied the core designation to Loyd, which works similarly to the franchise tag in the NFL. The core designation offers the team exclusive negotiating rights while guaranteeing the player the supermax salary for one season.

According to Winsidr's Rachel Galligan, Loyd's deal will run for two years.

Tuesday was the first day on which players could begin officially signing contracts. So far, the Storm have only confirmed they re-signed center Mercedes Russell.

Inked and 𝗢𝗙𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟! 📝@MerSladezz is 𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊 in the Emerald City! 💃

📰: https://t.co/ts2IJHEYHY#TakeCover pic.twitter.com/8tEDcp48Ck

— Seattle Storm (@seattlestorm) February 1, 2022

The length of Loyd's contract could be very important.

There's only one core qualifying offer to go around at a time for each team, and the designation extends through the duration of the player's next deal. 

Even if a player has no intention of sticking around, the core tag can be beneficial because it facilitates a sign-and-trade. Last year, Seattle had exclusive negotiating rights with Natasha Howard, who wound up on the New York Liberty as part of a series of trades.

🚨 TRADE ALERT 🚨

Storm acquires Katie Lou Samuelson, Mikiah “Kiki” Herbert Harrigan; Rights to Stephanie Talbot and two 2022 draft picks. 💪 

More info ⬇️https://t.co/Wx1v28tIiF pic.twitter.com/CML6GOu0sq

— Seattle Storm (@seattlestorm) February 10, 2021

If the Storm sign Loyd for only one season, then they'd still have the core offer as a tool in their arsenal in 2023. That's when Stewart is due to hit the market again, with Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes reporting she agreed to a one-year deal.

A two-year pact with Loyd takes that off the table.

Rather than having a mechanism to either tie down Stewart for another year or force a free-agent suitor to send plenty their way in a sign-and-trade for the 2018 MVP, the Storm will have no recourse if she wants to bolt.

For now, Seattle is poised to make at least one more run at a title to send Sue Bird off into the sunset on top. The franchise's long-term outlook is a little more murky, though.

Star free-agent forward Breanna Stewart reportedly is staying put for the 2022 season.

Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reports that Stewart has agreed to a one-year supermax deal to remain with the Seattle Storm this year. A two-time WNBA champion, Stewart has been with the Storm since they drafted her No. 1 overall in 2016.

Stewart was an unrestricted free agent this year, and she was expected to command interest from teams across the league. She only took one in-person meeting with the New York Liberty before making the decision to return to Seattle.

In just five career seasons, the 27-year-old Stewart is already regarded as one of the best WNBA players of all time. In September, she was the youngest player to be named to The W25 as one of the top 25 players in the league's first 25 seasons. She's one of just 10 active players to be included on the list.

Stewart is a three-time All-Star, three-time All-WNBA first-team selection and three-time All-Defensive team member. She earned WNBA MVP honors in 2018 after recording career highs of 21.8 points, 52.9 percent shooting from the field and 41.5 percent three-point shooting. She missed the entire 2019 season because of a torn Achilles.

The Storm won the WNBA championship in 2020 but were unable to defend their title last year. Seattle went 21-11 in 2021 and earned the fourth seed in the playoffs, but it fell to the Phoenix Mercury in the second round. Stewart was forced to sit the game out because of a foot injury.

With Stewart back in the fold and veteran point guard Sue Bird returning for a 19th season, the Storm are expected to be among the top contenders in the WNBA in 2022.

Longtime Seattle Storm star Breanna Stewart reportedly met with the New York Liberty in free agency this week.

According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, Liberty owners Joe and Clara Tsai, head coach Sandy Brondello and the full front office staff all went to Los Angeles for the meeting with Stewart.

In five seasons with the Storm, Stewart is a three-time All-Star, two-time WNBA champion, two-time WNBA Finals MVP and one-time WNBA MVP.

The 27-year-old Stewart is undoubtedly one of the WNBA's best players when healthy, but she has been plagued by injuries in recent years.

She missed the entire 2019 WNBA season after suffering a torn Achilles while playing for Russian club Dynamo Kursk during the WNBA offseason.

Stewart returned to action in 2020 and was named WNBA Finals MVP after leading the Storm to a championship, and while she was productive in 2021 as well, a foot injury kept her out for the playoffs.

Overall, the 6'4" forward owns career averages of 20.0 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.6 blocks, 1.6 three-pointers made and 1.3 steals in 149 WNBA regular-season games.

The former UConn standout has also averaged 24.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.2 three-pointers made, 1.4 steals and 1.2 blocks in 16 playoff contests.

While Stewart became a free agent at the conclusion of the 2021 season, she made it clear that her main desire was to re-sign with the Storm.

According to Forbes' Michael LoRe, Stewart said the following about her future in December: "My heart is in Seattle, and I plan to be back playing in the new arena, playing in Climate Pledge. Overall, I think the offseason is going really well—obviously taking some time away from basketball and making sure I'm rehabbing and recovering well."

If Stewart leaves the Storm for the Liberty, it could represent a seismic shift in the WNBA's power structure.

Despite being an original WNBA franchise, the Liberty have never won a championship, and they have reached the playoffs just once in the past four seasons.

There is reason for optimism in New York, though, as 2020 No. 1 overall draft pick Sabrina Ionescu largely stayed healthy in 2021 after an injury-riddled rookie campaign and helped lead the Liberty to the postseason.

Adding Stewart to a core that includes Ionescu, Betnijah Laney, Natasha Howard and Sami Whitcomb would make the Liberty legitimate championship threats, and it would put one of the league's top stars in one of its top markets as well.