When NBA Commissioner Adam Silver explains why Seattle was chosen as one of the two cities for NBA expansion, he doesn't just cite the market size, the arena, or the ownership group. He cites the Seattle Storm.
Commissioner Silver has credited the Seattle Storm's success as one of the factors that led the NBA to choose Seattle for its next expansion team. The Storm, who won WNBA championships in 2004, 2010, 2018, and 2020, have been one of the league's flagship franchises for two decades — and their continued excellence under owner Samantha Holloway has served as a proof of concept for professional basketball in Seattle.
The Storm play at Climate Pledge Arena, the same venue that would host a new NBA franchise. The arena, which opened in 2021 after a $1.15 billion renovation of the original KeyArena, was specifically designed with NBA specifications in mind. Climate Pledge Arena already has NBA-regulation locker rooms built and ready, as reported by Front Office Sports earlier this month.
The Storm's success under Holloway — who also leads the NBA expansion bid — has created a blueprint for professional basketball in Seattle. The team consistently ranks among the WNBA's top franchises in attendance, merchandise sales, and television ratings. In the 2025–26 WNBA season, the Storm averaged over 9,000 fans per game at Climate Pledge Arena, one of the highest figures in the league.
Holloway's dual role as Storm owner and NBA expansion bidder gives her a unique advantage: she can point to a proven track record of running a professional basketball franchise in Seattle, managing the arena, and building a fan base from scratch. When she presents her expansion bid to the NBA's Board of Governors, she is not asking them to take a leap of faith — she is showing them a working model.
For Seattle fans who have waited 18 years for the Sonics to return, the Storm's success has been both a consolation and a promise. Every sold-out game at Climate Pledge Arena, every Storm championship, every standing ovation has been a reminder that Seattle never stopped being a basketball city. Commissioner Silver, it seems, has been paying attention.