Drama, apparently, remains in the forecast for the Seattle Storm.
At the end of last season, a complaint filed by former Storm star Jewell Loyd initiated an investigation into the Seattle coaching staff that did not find any violations, but resulted in Loyd’s trade to the Las Vegas Aces, a situation she recently elaborated on during an episode of her podcast. After a game between the Storm and Aces on Sunday, June 1, a Storm assistant allegedly cursed at an Aces player. The WNBA followed up on the allegation but did not initiate an investigation.
Just as news of that situation spilled out, so did reporting, first from Khristina Williams of iHeart Women’s Sports, that Li Yueru had requested a trade from the Storm. On the Locked on Women’s Basketball Podcast, The Next’s Jackie Powell provided additional context, strongly suggesting that the Chinese National Team, dissatisfied with Yueru’s limited playing time, was behind the request. Acquired as part of the trade the sent Loyd to Vegas, Yueru, who played for the Los Angeles Sparks last season, has appeared in all nine of the Storm’s games, but, part of a stacked Seattle frontcourt, is playing less than 10 minutes per game.
Can confirm reporting from @Khristina regarding Li Yueru via a source familiar. This…
