Seattle Storm open training camp with Ogwumike, Diggins-Smith feeling at ‘home’

Contrary to Nneka Ogwumike’s beliefs, the Storm belong to her and Skylar Diggins-Smith now.

Of course, that’s a bit of an exaggeration.

Technically, Seattle’s WNBA team belongs to its three principal owners and an assortment of minority investors. And fifth-year coach Noelle Quinn bears responsibility for the team’s fate.

But more than anyone, Ogwumike, a nine-time All-Star forward and 2016 WNBA MVP, and Diggins-Smith, a six-time All-Star point guard, will determine whether the Storm take the next step and seriously challenge for a league championship this year.

They arrived a year ago and did the bulk of the heavy lifting that carried the Storm from an 11-win team in 2023 to a 25-15 record in 2024 and fifth-place finish in the league standings.

At the behest of Jewell Loyd, the Storm traded its star guard and leading scorer in the offseason, which seemingly ended an internal power struggle for leadership and cemented Ogwumike and Diggins-Smith at the top of the team’s hierarchy.

“It’s our team,” Ogwumike said when asked who leads the Storm. “I don’t have another answer to that. I think it’s all horizontal. I think that we are dealing with a level playing field.

“We’re all standing on the same foundational ground to adhere to the culture that we’re not compromising on. … This is not any one person’s team.”

Maybe so, but the 33-year-old Ogwumike is the Storm’s top marquee performer who averaged 16.7 points on 51.1% shooting, 7.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.9 steals last season.

Admittedly, Ogwumike, who spent the previous 12 years with the Los Angeles Sparks, is more comfortable at the start of her second season with the Storm.

“Last year everything was new. I was in a new city and with a new team,” Ogwumike said. “I had been somewhere for so long, and that transition might have been reflective in how I was trying to fit in, but it doesn’t ever change how hard I play.

“But I do definitely feel like there is more of a comfortability coming back here, being familiar with the staff, being familiar with not just players that I played with, but a lot of the players we brought in I’ve already played with.”

Ogwumike played with Storm newcomers Lexi Brown, Katie Lou Samuelson, Erica Wheeler and Zia Cooke in L.A.

“So, it’s a reunion in some ways,” Ogwumike said. “I think there’s also kind of like that feeling of home in that way too.”

Diggins-Smith also used the word “home” to describe Seattle.

“When you get to a new team, it’s not really your team, so you try to get in where you fit in,” said Diggins-Smith, who returned to the WNBA last year following maternity leave and the birth of her second child. “But I feel really confident. I feel in great shape. That’s the first thing. Last year I had to get back in shape kind of on the job in the first 10-12 games. I don’t feel like that.

“I feel amazing at the start of camp, ready to go. And so mentally, I’m more confident. I’m more confident as a mother. So, I got my routine. I was in the trenches last year with a 1-year old. But I just feel more happy all around and familiar like I’m home.”

Following a standout performance in the 3-on-3 basketball league Unrivaled, the 33-year-old Diggins-Smith hopes to improve on last year’s stellar season with the Storm when she averaged 15.1 points on 41.9% shooting, 6.4 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 1.7 steals.

“I’m looking forward to it this year, just the competition of it all,” Diggins-Smith said. “I got the taste of it at Unrivaled and I hadn’t played ball in the offseason in a long time. So, that felt really good to get that competition and get that bump, a kind of preview for this moment. So, I’m excited about the W this season.”

At the conclusion of the first day of training camp on Sunday, Ogwumike gathered with teammates Ezi Magbegor and Jordan Horston at midcourt and laughed while rehearsing a coordinated dance celebration.

A few feet away, Diggins-Smith was all smiles while sharing a conversation with co-owner Lisa Brummel, president Alisha Valavanis and general manager Talisa Rhea.

“I’m in a different phase of my life in this league, and for me, it’s really important to have the support system here that I have,” Diggins-Smith said. “I don’t mind changing the environment. Not ever. As a matter of fact, I’m here for it.

“We know we didn’t get it right last year, so we want to get it right this year.”

Note

• Storm rookie Dominique Malonga, who was taken No. 2 overall in the 2025 WNBA draft, is the only player absent at training camp. She finished her season with the French club LDLC Asvel Feminin, but Quinn was unsure when Malonga will travel to Seattle and join the team.