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. In the Storm’s 24 years of existence, never before has a superstar come back after leaving via free agency.
Sure, starters from championship teams like Alysha Clark, Natasha Howard, Sheri Sam and Tanisha Wright have signed elsewhere. 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.
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 2018 and 2020.
After Bird’s retirement last fall, Stewart chose a different path. In an era where WNBA players feel more empowered to take control of their careers, Stewart signed with the Liberty as an…
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