Seattle basketball will thrive after KeyArena thanks to Breanna Stewart and Jewell Loyd

Between leading their team to its third WNBA championship and then immediately getting on a plane to Spain where they successfully helped Team USA defend its title at the FIBA World Cup, Seattle Storm stars Breanna Stewart and Jewell Loyd have had a whirlwind month. Tack on the fact that Stewart was the WNBA MVP (and Finals MVP) and you’d think an extended break would be in order—but no, both players are preparing to head back overseas to start playing with their other teams. Stewart will be playing with Dynamo Kursk in Russia, and Loyd with Botas in Turkey.

Before they head abroad - and before Stewart joins Bird for the final basketball game ever at KeyArena, a Warriors-Kings preseason game - the pair spoke to SB Nation during a shoot for Eastbay about life since winning the chip, and what exactly people mean when they say “Seattle needs basketball.”

How did the team celebrate immediately after the game was over? What was your favorite part of the rally and the parade?

Jewell Loyd: After playing that Phoenix game, we really didn’t have a lot in the tank. We really really just exhausted, and trying to finish out the finals. When we won, we celebrated exactly how everyone usually does just because we were so tired—once that buzzer went off, it was kind of a relief. Like, our hard work finally paid off—it’s finally come together. We went in the locker room and the champagne was everywhere, and after about five or ten minutes, we were kind of like, “OK, what’s next? What else do you do when you win a championship?” Because a lot of us haven’t won before!

Breanna Stewart: We basically took a bus to a bar that our organization had had set up—went from the arena straight to the bar. It was nice to have all our fans and family there, the people who came out.

Loyd: Before the parade, we got to go to the top of the Space Needle and raise the flag, which was unreal. It kind of put things in perspective: we won a championship for the city. The city’s been ready for a championship for a long time, and to bring a championship to Seattle means a lot. To be up there with the whole team and staff, plus the trophy—you can see all of Seattle, everything. You just realized what you actually accomplished this season.

Stewart: My favorite part of the parade was seeing all the people who showed up. I’ve had parades before when I was at UConn, but didn’t really know what to expect here in Seattle. But it was awesome, it was so much fun.

In the city, did you find yourself getting recognized more during the playoff run?

Stewart: Yeah, just walking down the street I think we were a lot more noticeable. I mean I’m tall anyway, so I’m usually recognized, but people are still congratulating me when I go out to eat and that kind of thing.

Breanna, given all your individual successes this year—regular season and Finals MVP, plus the WNBA title and FIBA gold medal—how are you celebrating on your own? Are you planning to treat yourself at all?

Stewart: I’m gonna go to Cabo before I have to go to Russia, so I’ll be having a little vacay. I don’t mind spending money, so if I can use this as an excuse to buy something [like a Maserati] I will.

How do you feel about having played your last game at KeyArena?
Loyd: KeyArena has so much history, with the Sonics and all the other players who have played there. But I also think it’s time to remodel it, and get some new energy in there. It’s kind of like with our championship—bringing new life to the city.

Stewart: It’s sad that we’re not going to be there for a few years, but just knowing how much of an impact the Key has had to Seattle and to us—and what a tough place to play it is—it’ll be fitting for us to be there at the last game.

When people start talking about how “Seattle needs basketball,” do you ever get frustrated since the Storm have been playing in the city the whole time?

Loyd: You always hear that, and knowing the history and how it was. The biggest thing we can say is that we have championships. Three of them. That’s what our legacy is, and no matter how much people wish the Sonics were here, we still give a lot of life to the city. Our fans have been here when we were bad and when we were good—no matter how people generally feel about women’s basketball, opponents don’t want to play [in Seattle] because of our loyal fans. That’s a credit to the city.

Stewart: I mean, we have basketball obviously, with the Storm. But I think the bring another market, another NBA team, by bringing them back—we have all the other sports, we’re gonna be getting hockey. The NBA is the only thing that’s left.

If you could see one thing change in how the WNBA is covered between this season and next season, what would it be?

Stewart: Just continuing to get more eyes on the WNBA, and that means channels putting us on. We have League Pass, we have the games on Twitter, but as you can see from the playoffs, people will watch when it’s on standard television ... when it’s on ESPN channels. It’s hard, even for my family members and friends, if the game is on ESPNNews or NBA TV, because not everyone has those. Put the games on a channel that everyone can watch, and then people who want to watch it will watch it as well as people who are even just a little bit curious about the WNBA. That way, we can gain more eyes and more viewership.

What does it mean to you to bring a championship to a city that really hasn’t had that many of them?

Stewart: It feels great. Especially getting the franchise back on track, and showing other teams what the standard is. We want to become a city that’s a sports powerhouse.