Storm Part Ways With Coach Noelle Quinn After Early Playoff Exit

Quinn has led the Storm since 2021.
The Storm didn't extend coach Noelle Quinn for the 2026 season.
The Storm didn't extend coach Noelle Quinn for the 2026 season. / Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images
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The Seattle Storm lost in three games to the Las Vegas Aces in the first round of the playoffs on Thursday, and on Sunday, the organization announced they would not be extending coach Noelle Quinn's contract for the 2026 season.

A coaching search will now begin for the Storm.

Quinn has been the Storm's head coach since 2021. She posted a 97-89 overall record in her five seasons with Seattle. Her 97 wins are the second-most in Storm history. Quinn also led the team to four playoff appearances in her five years.

While Quinn has been pretty successful as the head coach, the organization was clearly not happy with the Storm exiting the playoffs after the first round, especially as the final two games were just three-point and one-point differentials. Their road to the postseason wasn't easy—the Storm clinched the final playoff spot thanks to a fourth-quarter comeback victory over the Valkyries on Sept. 10.

Quinn played for the Storm from 2013-14, and then again from 2016-18. She joined the coaching staff as an assistant in 2019 after she retired from her playing career.


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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.