History of Seattle Storm in Timeline

By Popular Timelines Editorial Team · Updated: July 16, 2025

The Seattle Storm are a professional women's basketball team based in Seattle, competing in the WNBA's Western Conference. Founded by Ginger and Barry Ackerley before the 2000 season, the team is currently owned by Force 10 Hoops LLC, which includes Seattle businesswomen Dawn Trudeau, Lisa Brummel, Ginny Gilder and former player Sue Bird.

January 2000: Seattle Storm Name Announcement

In January 2000, a Miami newspaper revealed the name of the new Seattle WNBA expansion franchise, the Seattle Storm, two weeks before the team's planned formal announcement. The name was chosen for Seattle's rainy reputation and the aggressive nature of storms.

2001: Ownership Change and Color Scheme Retention

In 2001, after a new ownership group led by Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz purchased the Sonics and Storm, the Sonics returned to their traditional green-and-golden yellow color scheme. The Storm retained their original colors of pine green, maroon red, bronze, and white to uniquely market the team.

July 18, 2006: Sale to Oklahoma City Group

On July 18, 2006, the Seattle SuperSonics and the Seattle Storm were sold to an Oklahoma City group led by Clay Bennett.

2006: Formation of Force 10 Hoops

In 2006, a four-person ownership group called Force 10 Hoops, LLC was formed.

2006: Another Change of Ownership

In 2006, there was another change of ownership for the Seattle Storm.

February 2007: Negotiations with Bennett

In February 2007, Force 10 Hoops began negotiations with Clay Bennett to purchase the Seattle Storm.

October 31, 2007: Deadline for Arena Approval

October 31, 2007, was the deadline for Seattle leaders to approve an arena for the Sonics; otherwise, Clay Bennett made it clear that the Sonics and Storm would move to Oklahoma City.

January 8, 2008: Sale to Force 10 Hoops

On January 8, 2008, Clay Bennett sold the Seattle Storm to Force 10 Hoops, LLC, for $10 million, keeping the team in Seattle.

July 2008: Sonics Moved to Oklahoma City

In July 2008, the Seattle SuperSonics moved to Oklahoma City.

2008: Storm Played at KeyArena

During the period of uncertainty following the sale to an Oklahoma City group, the Seattle Storm announced that they would play their 2008 WNBA season in Seattle at KeyArena.

2008: Training Facility at Furtado Center

From 2008, the Seattle Storm's training facility was the Furtado Center, shared with the SuperSonics.

2008: Sale to Force 10 Hoops LLC

In 2008, the Seattle Storm were sold to Force 10 Hoops LLC after the Oklahoma City interests that owned the Sonics announced intentions to relocate the NBA club to Oklahoma City. Force 10 also retained the original colors.

April 21, 2010: Sponsorship Agreement with Bing

On April 21, 2010, the Storm and the WNBA announced a sponsor agreement with Bing, a search engine from Microsoft, to place the company's logo on their jerseys for the 2010 season.

2013: End of Bing Sponsorship

The Bing sponsorship with the Seattle Storm ended after the 2013 season.

January 2016: Branding Update

In January 2016, the Seattle Storm revealed a branding update that eliminated the use of red in their color scheme.

January 2016: Updated Team Colors

In January 2016, the Seattle Storm's branding update changed the official team colors to thunder green, lightning yellow, white, and thunder gray.

2016: Previous Color Scheme

From 2016, the Seattle Storm maintained a color scheme.

2016: Beginning of Broadcast Rights with KCPQ/KZJO

From 2016, the broadcast rights for Seattle Storm games were held by KCPQ or KZJO, with Dick Fain and Elise Woodward as broadcasters.

2016: Uniform Deal with Swedish Medical Center

In 2016, the Seattle Storm signed a new uniform deal with Swedish Medical Center.

August 2018: Announcement of Temporary Venue

In August 2018, the Seattle Storm announced that its primary home for the 2019 season would be at the University of Washington's Alaska Airlines Arena due to the Climate Pledge Arena renovation.

2018: Force 10 Hoops Involvement with Other Sports Teams

In 2018, Force 10 Hoops became the ticketing and service operator of Seattle Reign FC and a consultant for the Seattle Seawolves.

2019: Temporary Venue at Alaska Airlines Arena

In 2019, the Seattle Storm played primarily at the University of Washington's Alaska Airlines Arena due to the renovation of Climate Pledge Arena, using portable air conditioning units for games.

2020: Previous Color Scheme

From 2020, the Seattle Storm maintained a color scheme.

2020: Season in Bradenton, Florida

In 2020, the Seattle Storm played their games in Bradenton, Florida, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

2020: Usage of Alternate Logo

In 2020, the Seattle Storm used an alternate logo featuring the S from the Storm wordmark on a green oval on the team's jerseys, which had been in use on and off for a few years.

2020: 2020 WNBA Season

In 2020, the WNBA season was played entirely inside Bradenton, Florida's IMG Academy, referred to as the "wubble". The Storm won their fourth championship after closing out the top-ranked Las Vegas Aces in three games, with Breanna Stewart named Finals MVP. Bird missed some games due to a left knee bone bruise but returned for the playoffs.

March 2021: New Logo and Updated Color Scheme

In March 2021, the Storm released an entirely new logo and updated color scheme featuring a minimalist Space Needle design, a modern font, and a color scheme of dark green, yellow, and bright green.

2021: 2021 WNBA Season and Commissioner's Cup Win

In 2021, the Seattle Storm played at Angel of the Winds Arena with limited capacity due to COVID guidelines and won the inaugural WNBA Commissioner's Cup after defeating the Connecticut Sun 79-57 in the championship game.

2021: Color Scheme Update

In 2021, the new design of the Seattle Storm kept the 2016–2020 colors of lightning yellow and dark thunder green and replaced gray with bright bolt green.

May 6, 2022: Move to Climate Pledge Arena

On May 6, 2022, the Storm played their first regular season game at their new home in Climate Pledge Arena.

May 2022: Plans for Dedicated Training Facility

In May 2022, the Seattle Storm announced plans for a dedicated training facility in the Interbay neighborhood, pending city approval.

2022: Streaming Deal with Amazon Prime Video

In 2022, Amazon Prime Video announced a new deal with the Seattle Storm, becoming the official streaming service of the team. Approximately 30 Storm games are available to Prime Video customers in Washington state.

2022: Las Vegas Aces Headquarters Opened

In 2022, the Las Vegas Aces' headquarters opened in a renovated space; the Seattle Storm Center for Basketball Performance also serves as the team's headquarters and training facility.

March 2023: Construction of New Training Facility Began

In March 2023, construction began on the Seattle Storm's dedicated training facility in the Interbay neighborhood.

April 2024: Opening of New Training Facility

In April 2024, the Seattle Storm's dedicated training facility opened. It was designed by ZGF Architects with a women-led team, and Sellen Construction was the general contractor.

May 22, 2024: Record-Breaking Crowd

On May 22, 2024, the Seattle Storm broke the franchise record for attendance during a regular season win against the Indiana Fever, with 18,343 in attendance.

2024: End of Broadcast Rights with KCPQ/KZJO

The broadcast rights for Seattle Storm games were held by KCPQ or KZJO until 2024, with Dick Fain and Elise Woodward as broadcasters.

August 15, 2025: First WNBA Game Outside the US

On August 15, 2025, the Storm are scheduled to host the Atlanta Dream at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, Canada, marking the first WNBA regular season game played outside the United States.

2025: Broadcast Agreement with KOMO-TV and KUNS-TV

In 2025, the Seattle Storm announced that its games not on national television would be broadcast by KOMO-TV, Seattle's ABC affiliate, and KUNS-TV, Seattle's affiliate of the CW.