Seattle, WA
Taurasi salutes Bird, bests her in rivals’ last game

PHOENIX — Throughout a pregame video honoring Seattle Storm star Sue Hen earlier than her final regular-season assembly towards Diana Taurasi, the Phoenix Mercury star obtained in a single final rib.
“It is time so that you can go,” she mentioned, tongue in cheek, on the large display screen looming above the courtroom within the Footprint Heart in downtown Phoenix.
Then Taurasi proceeded to offer Hen fairly a going away current — past the customized Jordan 1s offered to Hen earlier than the sport — scoring 28 factors whereas main the Mercury to a 94-78 win in entrance of 14,162 folks, the third-most in Mercury historical past.
Hen checked out of the sport on the 3:20 mark of the fourth quarter with two factors and 5 rebounds. However the stats and, to some extent, the result weren’t the story.
The day, the sport, the ambiance had been about Taurasi and Hen taking part in one another for the final time within the common season earlier than Hen retires on the finish of the season.
Taurasi offered Hen with a pair of customized Jordan 1s that honor Hen and her profession. Their real affection for one another was laborious to overlook. Because it all the time is, it was on show at any time when they had been collectively on the courtroom earlier than tipoff.
Their hug earlier than the 2 sat down for a TV interview about an hour earlier than tip — during which there have been extra smiles and laughs than questions — was the type of embrace you see from two finest buddies who have not seen one another for a minute.
After Hen’s warmup, she stopped to signal autographs on her option to the locker room. Inside mere seconds, a crowd descended upon her as she inked her identify on every part from mini basketballs to jerseys whereas doing an entire 360. It did not matter that she was the customer or perhaps a West rival. She was embraced and celebrated by a mix of Mercury and Storm followers.
Again in 2019, Taurasi, speaking about being hated by followers on the highway, questioned why Hen did not obtain the identical reception she does.
“I do know generally, we’re getting launched and, ‘Sue Hen …’” Taurasi mentioned, earlier than mimicking applause. “I am like, ‘You guys, we’re in Phoenix. Will somebody boo her please? S—. Why are we clapping for Sue Hen, dammit?’ And I’m going up there, and so they’re throwing bathroom paper at me, holy water.”
Hen’s greeting was no completely different Friday night time. Besides it was higher. She obtained a standing ovation when she obtained the Mercury’s present and one other cheer when she was launched — identical to Taurasi complained about. This one was warranted, although.
Hen jerseys in Seattle’s trademark yellow and inexperienced stood out towards the purple and black Mercury threads. There was a couple of of Hen’s UConn jerseys within the crowd and a handful of Hen’s Staff USA jerseys.

Seattle, WA
NFL offseason grades: Seattle Seahawks earn ‘B’ from Pro Football Focus

The Seattle Seahawks have been among the most active teams throughout the 2025 NFL offseason, but there’s no guarantee that any of their moves will pan out. If anything, those around the league aren’t sure what to make of the new-look Seahawks.
While the defense should be better this season, their offense is a total mystery due to the many new faces. The team added three new quarterbacks, totally revamped its wide receiver room and selected an offensive lineman in the first round of the draft.
Is quarterback Sam Darnold an upgrade over Geno Smith? Will Cooper Kupp make up for the loss of DK Metcalf at wide receiver? Did Seattle do enough to fix its offensive line?
Obviously, no one can answer these questions until the season kicks off, but Pro Football Focus handed out offseason grades to all 32 teams. The Seahawks earned a “B” grade for their 2025 offseason haul.
“Hiring Klint Kubiak as offensive coordinator was a good move, as his work in New Orleans under unideal circumstances was encouraging,” wrote PFF’s Trevor Sikkema. “He fits right into a lot of the strengths of Seattle’s roster, especially with deploying a zone rushing attack.
PFF considered the switch from Smith to Darnold, another former NFL journeyman, to be a “net negative,” but praised the team’s changes at wide receiver.
“The Seahawks subbed in Sam Darnold for Geno Smith, which appears to be a net negative,” Sikkema continued. “They did well to swap their offensive weapons, switching D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett for Cooper Kupp and Marquez Valdes-Scantling. I also like their defensive additions of DeMarcus Lawrence and Nick Emmanwori.”
The quarterback decision will ultimately determine whether the offseason was a success for Seattle. The Seahawks will have to prove that giving up Smith for a late-Day 2 pick and replacing him with Darnold following one productive season in Minnesota was the right move.
In a way, the team hedged its bet on Darnold by drafting Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe in the third round. If Darnold starts seeing ghosts in the pocket, Milroe gives Seattle a more mobile option for this season and beyond.
Massive free agent signing named Seahawks’ most head-scratching move
Seattle Seahawks earn disappointing grade for aggressive 2025 offseason
Kenneth Walker III lands in disrespectful place in post-draft RB rankings
Mike Macdonald says Seahawks need to find more reps for first-rounder
Seattle, WA
Daniel Jeremiah dispels 1 Seattle Seahawks draft criticism

The Seattle Seahawks have received widespread praise for their 2025 draft class.
Seahawks won’t play an international game this year
With their first-round pick, they addressed their most glaring need by drafting offensive lineman Grey Zabel. Over the next two rounds, they added a trio of intriguing players with rare athletic traits: versatile safety Nick Emmanwori, field-stretching tight end Elijah Arroyo and dual-threat quarterback Jalen Milroe.
And in the later rounds, they grabbed several potential value picks in defensive lineman Rylie Mills, wide receiver Tory Horton, running back Damien Martinez and wideout Ricky White III.
The high marks for Seattle’s draft class were further reflected in a recent article by The Athletic’s Mike Sando, who spoke to NFL team executives to gain their perspectives on opposing teams’ drafts.
“The top of the draft was really good for them,” one executive said, according to Sando. “They got three of the better players in the whole draft.”
But despite that, there was one criticism.
“The catch: Seattle targeted non-premium positions with its first three picks,” Sando wrote.
As Sando mentioned, the Seahawks’ first three picks were a guard, a safety and a tight end. And in terms of salaries, those three positions are typically on the lower half of the spectrum in terms of salaries.
That prompted Seattle Sports’ Mike Salk to ask NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah whether he thinks it’s an issue that the Seahawks spent their first three picks on non-premium positions.
“I don’t think so, because I don’t think they forced it,” said Jeremiah, a former NFL scout, to Brock and Salk. “… You can go in there with a plan in place (to) address the premium positions. But if it falls a certain way, you get in trouble when you’re trying to just force it and jam it in there.
“At the end of the day, the goal is to have blue (chip) players. You want to have elite players scattered across your roster. And depending on who you talk to, they’ll tell you, we need to have eight to 12 blue-caliber players – guys that could be considered in the top 10 of their position in the NFL.
“So if you can get one of those elite players at one of those non-premium positions – (especially) in a draft like the one we just had (with limited blue-chip prospects) – that’s just doing it smart, in my opinion.”
Listen to the full conversation with NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah at this link or in the audio player at the bottom of this story. Tune in to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.
Seattle Seahawks news and analysis
• Huard: Encouraging sign for Seattle Seahawks in ’25? Their ’26 free agents
• Bump: Seattle Seahawks’ offense will be top 10 in this area
• Is Seattle Seahawks’ next franchise QB currently on roster? Jeremiah weighs in
• Bump: How Seattle Seahawks’ rookie safety will be a benefit to Witherspoon
• Cowherd: Seattle Seahawks QB Milroe could be dangerous red-zone weapon
Seattle, WA
Seattle Storm waive guard whose brother plays for Seahawks

Guard Serena Sundell, the younger sister of the Seahawks offensive lineman Jalen Sundell, was among a trio of players waived by the Seattle Storm on Monday.
Seattle Storm lose another player for season to ACL injury
The Storm also cut 2024 third-rounder Mackenzie Holmes and Brianna Fraser as they appear to have set their roster for the start 2025 season, which begins with a road matchup Saturday against the Phoenix Mercury.
Serena Sundell, a 2025 third-round pick out of Kansas State University, led the nation with 7.3 assists per game and set Kansas State’s program record with 262 assists last season. The 6-foot-1 guard averaged 14.1 points and 4.4 rebounds. She was a two-time All-Big 12 selection and named as an AP All-American honorable mention this past season.
With Sundell being waived, none of the Storm’s three third-round picks from the 2025 draft made the roster. The team waived guards Jordan Hobbs and Madison Conner last week.
Holmes, a 6-foot-3 forward, missed all of last season while recovering from surgery on her left knee. The former Indiana University standout was a two-time All-American with the Hoosiers. She averaged 17.2 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.8 blocks during a decorated five-year career at Indiana.
Fraser, a 6-foot-3 forward, was a McDonald’s High School All-American in 2015 before playing four seasons at Maryland. She’s played for multiple professional teams overseas and participated in training camps for the New York Liberty and Connecticut Sun but hasn’t appeared in a WNBA regular season game.
The Storm’s roster is now down to a league-minimum 11 players. That includes forward Katie Lou Samuelson, who is out for the season with a torn ACL. General manager Talisa Rhea told reporters last month she expects the team to start the season with 11 players.
More Seattle Storm and WNBA news
• Sue Bird to be first managing director of USA women’s team
• Seattle Storm’s No. 2 overall pick Malonga impossible to miss
• 2025 WNBA Draft: See all the Seattle Storm and local picks
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