🕖Recorded LIVE: Thursday April 23 at 6:30 PM PT

Training camp is open and a Category 4 is forming in the Emerald City. ⛈️

The Sonia Raman era is officially underway — and the new-look Seattle Storm look nothing like the team that lost in the first round last season. Tempestade Talk breaks down everything we've learned in the first week of camp.

🌩️ HERE'S WHAT WE'RE GETTING INTO:

⛈️ SONIA RAMAN'S SYSTEM — FIRST LOOK
⛈️ FLAU'JAE JOHNSON — THE GIFT THAT KEEPS GIVING
⛈️ THE FRONTCOURT MATH
⛈️ EZI MAGBEGOR — THE UNLEASHING
⛈️ BUBBLE WATCH

📋 2026 STORM TRAINING CAMP ROSTER:
Returning: Magbegor, Malonga, Horston, Cooke, Holmes, Brown, K.L. Samuelson
New: Hiedeman, Dolson, Melbourne
Rookies: Johnson, Fam Thiam, Mair, VanSlooten
Camp contracts: R. Davis, Mompremier, J. Brown, Ja. Brown, Ladine

00:00 Balancing work and basketball coverage
07:27 Team strategy and growth mindset
14:24 Building a team with Sonia
21:04 Discussing Lexie Brown's potential impact
24:33 Ezi embracing leadership role
30:25 Dom's confidence and communication
36:52 Seattle Storm's front court depth
40:36 Discussing Jordan Horston's potential
47:56 Introducing new podcast features
49:43 Exploring in-depth basketball insights
58:01 Seattle's passive-aggressive culture
01:10:38 Trade agreement confusion
01:16:10 Discussing point guard roles
01:21:30 Excitement about the Storm's future
01:26:36 Live streams and broadcast schedule
01:29:13 Living with gratitude and purpose

🎙️ Tempestade Talk is Black Rosie Media's eye on the Seattle Storm — credentialed at the WNBA Draft, WNBA Finals, Paris Olympics, and beyond.
📬 WBB Roundup — twice-weekly women's basketball delivered to your inbox:
https://wbb-roundup.beehiiv.com/
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#SeattleStorm #WNBA #TempestadeTalk #SoniaRaman #FlauJaeJohnson #AwgetFamThiam #DominiqueMalonga #EziMagbegor #BlackRosieMedia #WomensBball

The 2026 WNBA Draft is done — and the Seattle Storm didn't just participate, they took it over.
First, they selected Spanish international center Awa Fam Thiam at No. 3, adding a potential franchise cornerstone alongside Dominique Malonga. Then — in the move that stunned the draft room, left LSU head coach Kim Mulkey staring at her phone, and sent the WNBA world into full meltdown mode — Seattle traded their No. 16 pick and a 2028 second-round pick to Golden State to land LSU guard Flau'jae Johnson.

For the price of two second-round picks. A first-round talent. A national champion. An elite two-way scorer who dropped 14.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game as a senior while shooting 46.5% from the field.

Erica L. Ayala and the Tempestade Talk crew are going LIVE to break down what could be the move of the 2026 WNBA Draft — and what it means for the Storm's Malonga-era rebuild.

🔥 HERE'S WHAT WE'RE GETTING INTO:
🌊 Was this the steal of the draft — or did Seattle just get lucky that Golden State had a mystery plan?
🌊 How does Flau'jae Johnson fit alongside Dominique Malonga and Awa Fam Thiam?
🌊 Seattle now has FOUR centers — Malonga, Magbegor, Fam, and Dolson. How does coach Sonia Raman figure THAT out?
🌊 What does the Valkyries GM refusing to explain the trade tell us about what Golden State is actually building?
🌊 The Storm lost their top five scorers from last season in free agency — does this draft class fill the gap?
🌊 Is this young core — Malonga, Johnson, Fam, Mair — one of the most exciting rebuilds in the WNBA right now?

📋 THE FULL STORM DRAFT HAUL:
No. 3 — Awa Fam Thiam | C | Spain
No. 8 (via trade) — Flau'jae Johnson | G | LSU
No. 14 — Taina Mair | G | Duke (2026 ACC Tournament MVP)
No. 39 — Grace VanSlooten | F | Michigan State

The trade details: Seattle gave up Marta Suárez (No. 16) + a 2028 second-round pick to Golden State for the rights to Johnson. WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced the trade to a stunned draft room shortly after Suárez was selected. Golden State Valkyries General Manager Ohemaa Nyani then repeatedly declined to explain the decision, simply saying, "I would just say that when I’m ready to speak more about what the strategy is behind it, I’ll speak on it. I’ll also say I don’t really speak about my strategy ever publicly because other teams are watching to see what our strategy is.”

🎙️ Tempestade Talk is Black Rosie Media's local eye on the Seattle Storm — credentialed at the WNBA Draft, WNBA Finals, Paris Olympics, and more.

Nobody covers the Storm from our perspective. Nobody.

📬 Get the Women's Basketball Roundup — twice-weekly women's basketball coverage delivered to your inbox: https://wbb-roundup.beehiiv.com/

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RECORDED LIVE WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8

The Storm are at a crossroads — and the decisions made this week will define the next era of Seattle basketball.

With the No. 3️⃣ overall pick locked in for the 2026 WNBA Draft, we're breaking down who Seattle should target to pair alongside their French phenom, Dominique Malonga.

Top prospects like Olivia Miles, Flau'jae Johnson, and Azzi Fudd are all in the conversation — but the right choice depends entirely on what this roster looks like after free agency shakes out.

And that's the real question: who stays?

Eight players are hitting free agency, including Nneka Ogwumike, Skylar Diggins, Gabby Williams, Ezi Magbegor, and Brittney Sykes. Right now, only Malonga, Jordan Horston, and Lexie Brown are under contract — meaning GM Talisa Rhea has a blank canvas and some brutal choices to make.

Diggins and Ogwumike are both ineligible to be cored again, which changes the leverage dynamic entirely. Williams, Magbegor, and Sykes remain eligible for the core designation, and we're debating who Seattle should fight to keep.

Magbegor's fit alongside Malonga is a real question — can two bigs coexist in this frontcourt, or does one have to go?

And at the center of it all: Dominique Malonga in year two. Will the new head coach, Sonia Raman, be free with her or conservative in her development?

How does the front office build the right team around her to take that next step?

We've got takes, debates, and a local perspective you won't find anywhere else.
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