The Seattle Storm announced the long-awaited schedule for their upcoming season in Climate Pledge Arena. Now all Storm fans want for Christmas is the assurance that Sue Bird will return for another season. Sorry Storm fans there is no timetable as to when and if that announcement will be made. Here is the schedule for the upcoming season.
The Storm makes its Climate Pledge debut with Opening Night presented by Swedish on Friday, May 6, hosting Minnesota at 7 p.m.
The WNBA expanded its schedule in 2022 with each team playing 36 games—the most regular-season games in league history. Seattle faces all 11 teams three times while playing a fourth game against three teams: Las Vegas, Minnesota, and Dallas. The Storm plays 18 games at home this season with half of those coming over the course of the team’s first 11 games.
After opening night, the Storm hit the road to face Las Vegas (May 8) before heading to Phoenix (May 11). The team then returns home for eight-straight games from May 14 through June 7—the longest homestand in franchise history. The front-loaded home schedule means the Storm plays 11 of its final 16 games on the road.
“We are excited to return to Seattle and to play in our new home, Climate Pledge Arena, in front of our incredible fans. It feels like it has been such a long time since we’ve played in our own building, so it’s special to tip off the 2022 season in this amazing facility,” said Storm Head Coach Noelle Quinn. “The key to our challenging schedule is to have a solid start. Playing at home early in the season provides us with an opportunity to build momentum and to compete in an electric atmosphere. I can’t wait to get going. Go Storm!”
The WNBA regular season ends on Sunday, August 14, with the Storm playing at Las Vegas. The WNBA playoffs begin that week featuring the new playoff format which does away with single-elimination games. The playoffs are slated to end in early September to allow players to represent their countries at the FIBA World Cup in Australia September 23 – October 3.
The WNBA’s 2022 All-Star Game has been slated for Sunday, July 10. The location of the game has yet to be determined and should be announced early in 2022.
The 2022 season once again features the return of the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup with each team’s first home and away games against conference foes counting as “Cup Games.” The team from each conference with the best record in those Cup Games will face off against each other in the Commissioner’s Cup Final on Tuesday, July 26, at a location to be determined. Seattle won the inaugural Commissioner’s Cup in 2021, beating the Connecticut Sun 79-57 in Phoenix.
Broadcast information for the games will be available at a later date.
Among the marquee games on the Storm’s 2022 schedule:
- Seattle opens the season against the Minnesota Lynx, as the only two active franchises with four WNBA Championships—including seven of the last 12 overall—face off against each other. The Lynx are led by Head Coach Cheryl Reeve, who was recently named Head Coach of the US Women’s Basketball team.
- After a quick two game road trip, the Storm open a long eight-game homestand with a showdown against arch-rival Phoenix in the Mercury’s lone trip to Seattle during the regular season. The contest will mark the fourth time the Storm has faced Phoenix in its last six games dating back to the 2021 regular-season finale between the two teams.
- The eight-game homestand—the longest in franchise history—also features the only Seattle trip by the Chicago Sky, the defending WNBA Champs. Future Hall of Famer Candace Parker and the Sky face the Storm on May 18 at 7 p.m.
- 2020 WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson, Liz Cambage, UW grad Kelsey Plum and the rest of the Las Vegas Aces make two trips to the Northwest in 2022. The Storm hosts the Aces on June 29, then again for Fan Appreciation Day and Seattle’s home finale on Aug. 7.
- Tuesday, July 12 marks the return of a fan favorite with the Storm hosting Kid’s Day supported by Seattle Children’s at Noon against Dallas. The matinee game helps kick off summer break for kids across the Puget Sound region and features fun activities for the whole family.
