Jewell Loyd has asked to be traded from Seattle.
The six-time WNBA All-Star and two-time Olympic champion requested a trade, according to a person familiar with the situation.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Thursday because they weren't authorized to talk publicly on the matter.
Loyd's request for a trade came hours after the Storm completed an investigation into internal allegations of workplace policy violations by the coaching staff.
“No findings of policy violations or any discrimination, harassment or bullying,” a statement from the team said. “To protect the integrity of the process, and to preserve confidentiality, we chose not to comment while the investigation was ongoing. The Storm will continue to provide a work environment in which all individuals are treated with respect.”
The Storm hired outside counsel to investigate the allegations upon receiving notice of the complaints.
The trade request and investigation was first reported by the Chicago Sun-Times. Loyd is from Chicago.
Loyd has played her entire career in Seattle and helped the team win two WNBA championships since she was drafted No. 1 in 2015 by the franchise. She won the league's Rookie of the Year that season.
The 31-year-old guard has played for Noelle Quinn over the last three-plus seasons after being her teammate from 2016-18.
Seattle made a huge splash in free agency last offseason, adding Nneka Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins-Smith to the roster. The Storm lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Las Vegas Aces.
AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
Seattle Storm guard Jewell Loyd (24) plays against the Las Vegas Aces in Game 2 of a WNBA basketball first-round playoff game, Sept. 24, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher, file)
LeBron James is going to have to make room for the NFL.
Wednesday's doubleheader on Netflix set records as the most-streamed NFL games in U.S. history, with numbers nearly five times more than the NBA.
The Baltimore Ravens' 31-2 victory over the Houston Texans averaged 24.3 million while Kansas City's 29-10 win at Pittsburgh averaged 24.1 according to early viewer figures released by Nielsen on Thursday.
Nielsen also said there were 65 million U.S. viewers who tuned in for at least one minute of one of the two games.
The NBA's five-game slate averaged about 5.25 million viewers per game across ABC, ESPN and its platforms, according to the league and Nielsen.
“I love the NFL,” James said in his televised postgame interview Wednesday night. “But Christmas is our day.”
While the NBA's Christmas lineup has its best viewer numbers in five years, the NFL has made Christmas one of its tentpole events during the regular season, joining Kickoff Weekend and Thanksgiving.
“The numbers speak for themselves and LeBron can have his own view, and I’m sure more people will look at that because of this," said Hans Schroeder, the executive vice president of NFL Media. "But, you know, we’re focused on the NFL and we’re thrilled with the results this year with the Christmas on Netflix and we’re excited to continue to build that over the next couple of years.”
Both NFL games surpassed the previous mark of 23 million for last season’s AFC wild-card game between the Miami Dolphins and Chiefs on Peacock.
Viewership for Ravens-Texans peaked with the Beyoncé Bowl. The 20-minute halftime performance averaged over 27 million viewers.
The viewer figures include the audience on Netflix, mobile viewership on NFL+ and those who tuned in on CBS stations in Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Baltimore and Houston.
Global ratings and final U.S. numbers are expected to be available on Tuesday.
The NFL's Christmas numbers decreased from last season, but not at the rate that usually happens when something goes from broadcast to streaming.
Last year’s three games averaged 28.68 million viewers. The early afternoon contest between the Las Vegas Raiders and Chiefs led the way, averaging 29.48 million on CBS.
Once global and Netflix's first-party data is released, both Christmas games should surpass 30 million.
The NBA's lineup saw an 84% rise over 2023. One reason for the increase is that all five games were on ABC, compared to two last year.
The Los Angeles Lakers’ 115-113 victory over the Golden State Warriors — a game pitting Olympic teammates LeBron James and Stephen Curry — averaged 7.76 million viewers and peaked with about 8.32 million viewers toward the end of the contest, the league said.
Those numbers represent the most-watched NBA regular season game in five years.
The NBA said all five Christmas games on its schedule — San Antonio at New York in Victor Wembanyama's holiday debut, Minnesota at Dallas, Philadelphia at Boston, Denver at Phoenix and Lakers-Warriors — saw year-over-year viewership increases.
Wednesday's numbers pushed NBA viewership for the season across ESPN platforms to up 4% over last season. The league also saw more than 500 million video views on its social media platforms Wednesday, a new record.
For the NBA, those are all good signs amid cries that NBA viewership is hurting.
“Ratings are down a bit at beginning of the season. But cable television viewership is down double digits so far this year versus last year," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said earlier this month. “You know, we’re almost at the inflection point where people are watching more programing on streaming than they are on traditional television. And it’s a reason why for our new television deals, which we enter into next year, every game is going to be available on a streaming service.”
Part of that new package of television deals that the NBA is entering into next season also increases the number of regular season games broadcast on television from 15 to 75.
AP NBA: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NBA
Beyoncé performs during halftime of an NFL football game between the Houston Texans and the Baltimore Ravens, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) speaks with Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson (3) after an NFL football game, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama (1), center, reacts as he sinks a three point basket during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the New York Knicks, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024, in New York. The basket was not counted after an officials review. The Knicks defeated the Spurs 117-114. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) looks on during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Golden State Warriors, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Eakin Howard)
