Guard Jewell Loyd was officially announced as a member of the Las Vegas Aces on Saturday, and said at age 31, she thinks she still has a long career ahead of her.
Loyd, the No. 1 pick by Seattle out of Notre Dame in 2015, was traded to the Aces in a three-way deal with the Storm and Los Angeles that was reported by ESPN last Sunday. The deal was made official Saturday, and Loyd spoke with the media on a video call from Miami, where she is playing in the Unrivaled 3-on-3 league.
"If I just look at the 10 years [in Seattle], if I wasn't going to play basketball again ... I had a really, really good, amazing career," said Loyd, who won two titles with the Storm. "I'm blessed that I've stayed healthy enough. Now I have another 10 years. I told my family, 'I feel like the next 10 years of my life, including basketball, will be my best.' I'm so excited to be a part of an organization that's going to challenge me in different ways."
Loyd was the 2015 WNBA Rookie of the Year and won league titles with Seattle in 2018 and 2020. A two-time Olympic gold medalist, she led the WNBA in scoring average at 24.7 PPG in 2023.
Last season, Loyd averaged 19.7 PPG for the Storm, who made the playoffs. But her relationship with the coaching staff deteriorated. Loyd alleged harassment and bullying, but the team said an external investigation did not find any violations.
"The Storm recently received internal allegations of potential workplace policy violations," the team said in a statement provided to ESPN in December. "The organization retained an outside investigator to conduct an impartial investigation into the allegations. The investigation has been completed and there were no findings of policy violations or any discrimination, harassment, or bullying."
Loyd requested a trade from Seattle and now will replace fellow Olympic guard Kelsey Plum in Las Vegas. Plum, the WNBA's No. 1 pick in 2017, was cored as a free agent and also wanted a trade. Plum went to Los Angeles in the deal that sent Loyd and the No. 13 pick in the 2025 draft to Las Vegas. Along with Plum, Los Angeles got the No. 9 pick in this year's draft plus a 2026 second-round pick. Seattle got the No. 2 pick in the upcoming draft, a 2026 first-round pick and center Li Yueru.
Despite the sour ending for Loyd in Seattle, Aces president Nikki Fargas said she thinks Loyd will fit in well in Las Vegas.
"Jewell obviously has shown that she knows how to play the right way," Fargas said. "And so I think the transition [of] her game to the Aces system is going to be seamless."