Seattle Storm decline to renew head coach Noelle Quinn’s contract after first-round playoff exit

The decision to part ways with the 40-year-old Quinn after four and a half years leading the team came shortly after Thursday’s 74-73 to the Las Vegas Aces in Game 3 of the first round of the WNBA playoffs. The loss eliminated the Storm in the first round for the second straight year.

At the beginning of the season, the All-Star-laden Storm were considered a title contender. However, a disappointing run after the WNBA All-Star break saw them finish seventh in the regular season with a 23-21 record.

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

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Quinn’s time with the Storm began as a player in 2013. She was a member of the Storm again from 2016 through 2018, helping them win a WNBA championship in 2018. Quinn retired shortly afterward and immediately became an assistant coach in Seattle. The Storm won their fourth WNBA championship in 2020 with Quinn as the associate head coach.

Quinn made history in May 2021 when her predecessor, Dan Hughes, abruptly retired and she became the Storm’s first Black head coach. She has the second-most wins of any coach in Storm history and oversaw four postseason appearances in five years.

However, Quinn compiled just a 97-89 record despite having rosters flush with talent in four of her five seasons. Those rosters included All-WNBA players such as Sue Bird, Breanna Stewart, Jewell Loyd, Skylar Diggins and Nneka Ogwumike. The Storm had a 4-8 postseason record and made the WNBA semifinals just once under Quinn.

Many of Quinn’s losses came in 2023, after Bird retired and Stewart left in free agency. The Storm finished in second-to-last place with an 11-29 record.

The additions of Ogwumike and Diggins ahead of the 2024 season drastically turned things around. Seattle finished fifth in the standings at 25-15 but was swept in the first round of the playoffs.

The following offseason saw Quinn at the center of a controversy as Loyd alleged bullying and harassment by the Storm coaching staff. However, an independent investigation didn’t find evidence to support the claims. Loyd requested a trade in December and was eventually dealt to the Aces. That landed Seattle the No. 2 overall draft pick in 2025, which became Dominique Malonga.

The 2025 Storm returned a core of Ogwumike, Diggins, Gabby Williams and Ezi Magbegor. They entered the All-Star break with a 14-9 record, good for fourth in the standings. They sent three players to the All-Star Game: Diggins, Ogwumike and Williams, who was named an All-Star for the first time in her career.

In an attempt to strengthen its push for a title, Seattle traded for Brittney Sykes from the Washington Mystics on Aug. 5. Sykes arrived in the middle of a six-game losing streak. Seattle nearly fell out of the playoff race with a 17-18 record as of Aug. 17, but it won six of its last nine to clinch a playoff spot in its last game of the regular season.

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In exit interviews on Saturday, players expressed varying feelings about the team culture and coaching staff.

“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,” Ogwumike told reporters. “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.”

Guard Lexie Brown came into exit interviews and said she didn’t want to answer any questions. Brown was acquired in an offseason trade and said on Saturday that she felt the healthiest she has since her Crohn’s diagnosis in 2023, allowing her to be available for nearly 40 games. She appeared in just 24, averaging 9.4 minutes per game.

Brown opted instead to read a statement that said in part: “I just want everyone to know that I’m healthy. I feel great, and the fact that I was able to show up every day as my best self and do everything I could to earn time on this court was a win for me. And I just don’t think I was given the opportunity I deserved.”

Veteran guard Tiffany Mitchell, who joined the team midseason after being waived by the Aces, also seemed to express unhappiness with the coaching staff. Mitchell averaged double-digit minutes in her first 26 games with the Storm, often playing 20-plus minutes, but she saw her playing time significantly diminish down the stretch. In the Storm’s three playoff games, she only appeared in a Game 1 blowout loss.

“As far as the coaching staff, I have a personal relationship with Coach Pokey [Chatman]. She coached me when I was in Indiana, so it’s easy to talk to her and kind of figure out my way when I got here,” Mitchell said. “But other than that, I mean, it is what it is. That’s the W and that’s the nature of the game, that’s the nature of this league sometimes.

“It’s unfortunate for me, but — and I wish it would have been different — but again, I’m extremely grateful that I even had the opportunity to be on this team and be around such great teammates, so I don’t really let that come into play when it comes to the coaching staff and what they did, what they didn’t do.”

Mitchell posted on X later on Saturday to say she meant “no shade towards the rest of the staff” and that her limited playing time did not mean she disliked her time on the team or her coaches.

Firing Quinn is the beginning of what is expected to be a historic offseason for the Storm and the league in terms of player movement. The WNBA’s collective bargaining agreement expires on Oct. 31, and more than 100 players will be free agents this offseason.

Malonga and Brown — as well as Jordan Horston and Nika Muhl, who both missed the 2025 season due to knee injuries — are under contract for 2026. Ogwumike, Diggins, Williams, Sykes, Magbegor, Mitchell, Erica Wheeler and Katie Lou Samuelson are unrestricted free agents. Zia Cooke and Mackenzie Holmes are reserved free agents.

Quinn’s departure could potentially affect the team’s ability to re-sign some free agents who had close and/or long-term relationships with her. For example, Magbegor has worked with Quinn since joining the Storm in 2020. Ahead of earning her first All-Star selection, Williams credited Quinn for believing in her since Day 1 and explained why she would “always want to come back and play for her.” And ahead of the 2024 playoffs, Ogwumike and Diggins were full of praise for Quinn’s knowledge and relationship building.

Storm fans now await the most uncertain offseason in the franchise’s history, with a coaching change added on top of unprecedented player movement.

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