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The WNBA was made aware of an incident that took place after the Aces’ win over the Seattle Storm on Sunday, but it did not warrant a formal investigation, a league source with knowledge of the situation told the Review-Journal on Wednesday.
One of Seattle’s assistant coaches allegedly cursed at an Aces player who formerly played for the Storm on the court at Climate Pledge Arena, possibly during the handshake line, the source indicated. It was not a racial or derogatory term, the source said.
The source would not confirm that Jewell Loyd was the player, but she is the only person on the Aces’ roster who previously played for the Storm. The Storm assistant’s name was not disclosed.
The league is obligated to look into team complaints, but it does not seem likely that the Storm assistant will be fined or suspended unless a further development arises.
Loyd joined the Aces in the offseason in a three-team trade that sent Kelsey Plum to the Los Angeles Sparks.
After last season, Loyd filed a complaint against the Storm’s coaching staff.
In response, the Storm hired a law firm to investigate the accusations of harassment and bullying by the team’s coaches. Loyd requested a trade shortly after it was announced that the probe concluded without finding any wrongdoing.
The WNBA itself did not investigate Loyd’s exit from Seattle, the league source confirmed.
The Storm dominated the Aces 102-82 on May 25 in Seattle to spoil Loyd’s first game against her former team of 10 years. The Aces responded with a 75-70 victory Sunday.
The teams play again June 20 at Michelob Ultra Arena.
“I think we’re moving in the right direction,” Loyd said Wednesday when asked how she was feeling after Sunday’s game. “It’s nice to be home for a bit to work out the kinks and all those good things. Things are good.”
While Loyd spoke generally about her experiences in Seattle during a recent episode of her podcast “The Warehouse,” she declined to say whether she’ll ever talk about the aspects of her Seattle experience that rose to the level of bullying and harassment allegations.
“I’m healed, and healing from the process. So to keep opening up a wound, it makes no sense to me. Maybe there’s a time and place — maybe later down the line, or whatever,” Loyd told the Review-Journal. “I’m a big believer that regardless of what happens, everything will come out when it needs to. And if it doesn’t, it’s OK. I feel like I’m in a really good spot and place. And my goal of sharing my story is to help someone else.”
Contact Callie Fin at cfin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.
