The Storm Are Primed for Another WNBA Title Run

Each Thursday this season, Sports Illustrated’s Ben Pickman is diving deep into the WNBA story lines you need to know. He’s off this week, so teammate Wilton Jackson is filling in.

Nearly two weeks ago, the Storm’s Breanna Stewart, Sue Bird and Jewell Loyd stood next to their teammates on Team USA women’s basketball with big smiles on their faces, holding a sunflower in one hand and clutching their gold medals in the other.

Team USA had just defeated Japan to claim its seventh-straight gold medal and its ninth in 11 Olympic trips. Bird, a four-time WNBA champion and 12-time All-Star, cherished the moment—realizing it was her final Olympic games—with her teammate Mercury guard Diana Taurasi,…