Even though we're starting a new chapter and I'm starting a new chapter on a new team, just nothing but gratitude for everything here in Seattle." Really just love the people here and appreciate the city and the fans so much. "I was thinking about it when I was warming up. "It's a lot of great memories," she said. Having practiced Monday at Seattle Pacific University in the same gym used by the Storm, Stewart couldn't help but reminisce about her time in Seattle. Her mom, Heather, is also in town for the game and came early to attend Friday night's Storm loss to the Dallas Wings. During a quick trip, Stewart was hoping to get back to as many of her old haunts as possible, including Rocco's for pizza. Part of the weirdness, Stewart explained, is staying in a downtown hotel with her team instead of the Belltown condo she and wife Marta Xargay Casademont - who made the trip, though daughter Ruby didn't - called home in Seattle. It's going to be an emotional night just to be playing against Noey and Jewell and the whole staff and everything like that, but this is why we love sports: the relationships, the things that change and the things that don't." "The fact that it came so quickly, I'm still struggling with what team I'm on," said Stewart, sporting a shiner on her left eye after being hit in the face in Saturday's win over the Connecticut Sun. Stewart is still at the point where, after seven seasons with the Storm - one of them spent on the sideline due to an Achilles rupture suffered playing overseas in 2019 - she's getting used to thinking of herself as a member of the Liberty. The WNBA's schedule-makers gave Stewart relatively little time to get settled in New York before coming back to Seattle for just her fourth game with the Liberty. I hope there's going to be tons of appreciation on both sides, and then once the game starts it's going to be competitive as usual." "To be honest, when you look at it, it hasn't happened often in the WNBA," Stewart told ESPN after New York practiced Monday in Seattle. On Tuesday, she'll be back for what she describes as a "weird" game. In an era in which WNBA players feel more empowered to take control of their careers, Stewart signed with the Liberty as an unrestricted free agent. Of the three players who have most defined Seattle's WNBA franchise, however, both Sue Bird and Lauren Jackson played their entire careers with the Storm - 20 seasons, in Bird's case, despite considering a move to her hometown Liberty before Stewart arrived in Seattle to help lead the team to championships in 20.Īfter Bird's retirement last fall, Stewart chose a different path. Seattle also welcomed back WNBA superstars who spent part of the latter stages of their careers with the Storm, including Katie Smith and Sheryl Swoopes. Sure, starters such as Alysha Clark, Natasha Howard, Sheri Sam and Tanisha Wright from championship teams have signed elsewhere. In the Storm's 24 years of existence, never before has a superstar come back after leaving via free agency. SEATTLE - When Breanna Stewart returns to Climate Pledge Arena with the New York Liberty on Tuesday night (9 ET, ESPN2/ESPN App), it will mark an unprecedented moment in Seattle Storm history.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |