SEATTLE STORM SWEEP: Recognizing Some Unsung Heroes of the WNBA

Long time, no blog post.

I don't often hyper-fixate over sports, but this past summer, I've really been into the Seattle Storm of the WNBA, and my favorite basketball players WHO WON A MF CHAMPIONSHIP LAST NIGHT.

When did this obsession start? Hard to pinpoint exactly when but all I can say is on September 4th, the night I had to babysit and actually missed the game, legend Jewell B Loyd scored the game winning shot against the LA Sparks and suddenly my casual appreciation for the Storm turned into an outright obsession.

Man. Kobe Bryant (RIP) would have been proud of his mentee for such a shot.

This team SWEPT the Minnesota Lynx (an incredible team, with incredible players and game throughout the Play-Offs) and secured a spot in the WNBA finals – where they faced off against the Las Vegas Aces, #1 seed in the league. And let's get one thing straight – A'ja Wilson is NO joke. A'ja Wilson IS the MVP, and just because I'm a slut for Stewie does not mean I don't recognize what a phenomenal player she is.

Going into the finals, I was nervous man. My anxiety was an all time high, all I could do was think about and watch women's basketball. My dad's side of the family lives in Seattle, so every summer (pre Covid) when we would go visit, we always made sure to catch a Storm game. So, yes I was a bit biased. I really fucking wanted them to win and sweep the Aces, and I knew it was going to be a challenge.

I was even more nervous when Sami Whitcomb left the Wubble to go back to Australia because Sami is a BEAST. But she left to go home to Australia, where her wife is expecting their first child and something really resonated with me that was said about her departure – some things are bigger than basketball.

This kind of threw me back into reality: what the hell was I getting so worked up for? If A'ja Wilson led the Aces to victory in the 2020 Finals, it wasn't going to be the end of the world. Sure, it would be a disappointment, but I would be fine. Why was I taking this so seriously?

And it kind of hit me, a little while later. These players are my emotional support basketball team. Their chemistry is out of this world, a reason they're so dynamic on the court. The MF GOAT Sue Bird KNOWS her teammates, knows where they are at all times on the court. She can throw a no-look pass like it's no one's business, and trusts them to catch it while the other team is scrambling to defend Sue. Alysha Clark mentioned that she knew her teammates had her back, even when she was having an off-shooting game, and trusted her to keep making the shots she normally does – which you can see she did very well, here.

It made me realize that this camaraderie between teammates is so electric, that I felt a part of it. That whenever I happened to see resentful tweets against the Storm and its star players, I took it personally because I felt they were my friends too. And so, I realized I needed to take a step back. Needed to reevaluate why I was awake at 2:30am on a Tuesday morning, hoping for live coverage of the Storm victory after party. Needed to remember that a hyper fixation isn't always healthy, and that while the Storm – and the WNBA – have done incredible things this year for Black women, they can still take some criticism.

For example: Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart. They are for sure one of the GREATEST basketball duos there is. And let's be real, if you try to discredit their game and their skill, you're just salty or you're not paying attention.

But just because you're paying attention to them, doesn't mean you can't pay attention to the other starters. Who incidentally happen to be Black women.

Something I noticed in the Storm postgame media conferences, were how many questions about Sue and Stewie the other players would receive. Players like Mercedes Russell, AC, Jewell Loyd, and Tasha took them gracefully, but I waited for more praise on their performances to come their way. If the movement behind the WNBA this season is to get you to remember that Black women matter – let's start with the Black women on the team who are playing their best basketball yet, right?

Also, like, look at this pass from Mercedes Russell to Natasha Howard during Game 3 last night:

I mean COME ON. Effortless. Flawless. Phenomenal. Where's the buzz about that? Or about Jewell scoring 19 points, 9 rebounds, with 4 assists. Look, y'all, I really don't know that much about basketball but I'm pretty damn impressed.

PRETTY DAMN IMPRESSED:

Let's also talk about Angel McCoughtry, of the Las Vegas Aces this season, who was the inspiration behind wearing Breonna Taylor's name on their jerseys ALL season.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/29/sports/basketball/Angel-McCoughtry-breonna-taylor.html

And she can play some ball. She's a force to be reckoned with out there on the court, alongside the DYNAMITE A'JA WILSON. Yeah, let's talk about her for a minute.

A'ja is Black Girl Magic, and then some. Only twenty-four years old, and she was the driving force that led her team to victory this season. Yes, I'm a slut for Stewie as I've mentioned and wanted her to be MVP, I cannot deny that A'ja had incredible regular season performances throughout the entire summer and knew she was the best choice. And whenever she wasn't playing Seattle, you best believe I was rooting for her to win.

So, the A'ja slander has got to stop. Because last night's score (Storm 92-Aces 59) was not reflective of the game A'ja has been playing this past summer. Remember Storm fans and anyone else, Seattle swept the Lynx (again, another incredible team) and had five days of rest and recuperation before the Finals. A'ja and the Aces had to battle it out against the Connecticut Sun in a very demanding five game series, with only two days of rest. And they basically played back to back to back to back. Let's put some respect on THAT.

A'ja Wilson isn't overrated, because if anything, she's underrated. Her team was down two of their star players in the Wubble, and she stepped right up and took on that leadership role. And for her to say that this was the most painful loss of her career, man I felt that. This was going to be her 2018 Stewie year – 24 years old and MVP of the Year, along with Finals MVP, she was so close. In a Wubble for over 90 days, isolated from those she loved outside of the league, this would have been the most incredible finish for her. And she deserved it.

I'm getting emotional just thinking about it. Her comeback next year is about to be out of this world.

So, yeah. She bad. And I stan her – when she's not playing against Seattle 😉

Gonna wrap this up cause it's getting pretty long. Even though maybe two people (including me) read this blog, just keep saying her name. Remember that Breonna Taylor's life mattered, and so did Michelle Cusseaux and Sandra Bland. Remember that the Black women of the WNBA are still fighting for the same respect, y'all so easily give the white players and the members of the NBA. Remember that in a time of terrible, terrible adversity in this country, the WNBA stepped up and decided to dedicate this season to social justice.

And that I will miss them until next summer, but I hope their work and their shine lingers on. Who knows, maybe now that the season is over, I'll finally start writing my book again. Maybe now I'll be able to focus on work again and not spend endless hours on Twitter/Insta/Youtube looking for Storm updates. MAYBE.

GO STORM!

"In a year we will never forget, the Seattle Storm are the team we will always remember!"