Aces know gem they have in new teammate Jewell Loyd

By W.G. RAMIREZ

After a well-decorated 10-year career with the Seattle Storm, veteran guard and two-time WNBA champion Jewell Loyd (l.) joins three-time MVP A’ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces. PHOTO: Courtesy Las Vegas Aces

HENDERSON, Nev. — Thank goodness Jewell Loyd wasn't worried about stealing the spotlight for herself when she was younger.

A tennis prodigy at a young age, Loyd picked up a racket at four years old and could've very easily pursued a career on an entirely different court, as she was invited to attend IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.

Fortunately for women's basketball fans, she chose basketball for the most unselfish reasons.

"I didn't play basketball to be isolated by myself," Loyd said. "I would have played tennis to be by myself. I quit tennis to play basketball for team aspects."

And after spending 10 years with the Seattle Storm, the 31-year-old Illinois-native is set to embark on the next chapter of her career with the Las Vegas Aces.

"Coming here and knowing that it's all collective and everyone wants the best out of everyone, that makes a difference," she said. "And so that's kind of how I've always been. Being in the atmosphere that I'm at here, I kind of feel at peace. It's a fresh start."

Loyd will don an Aces uniform for the first time Friday night in South Bend, Indiana, as Las Vegas opens the preseason portion of its schedule against the Dallas Wings on the campus of Notre Dame, where the two-time WNBA champion was a two-time All-American.

Loyd and teammate Jackie Young, along with Wings star Arike Ogunbowale, all starred for Notre Dame during their college careers.

"We came from a great atmosphere all the way through college, and we know what it feels like," Loyd said. "We know the support there, and being able to come back and kind of join our journeys together, play in the league, and obviously now playing with Jackie, just like a full circle moment for us.

"So we're excited. It's gonna be a great game and great way to start the season."

CROWN JEWELL

During her well-decorated career, Loyd has played alongside the likes of Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart during Seattle's championship years, and Nneka Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins last season.

And while Loyd has continually expressed her excitement to join the superstar-laden Aces roster, with Young, Chelsea Gray and A'ja Wilson, the Aces' triumvirate knows exactly who's joining the lineup.

"We're getting one hell of a person and one hell of a basketball player that's accomplished a lot," Gray said. "We're both (in) year 11, together. Our rookie year was at the same time, and so I'm just happy to finally play with her on a consistent basis. We've had time with USA basketball. A prolific scorer, but more than anything, she's a champion. She's been a champion at Seattle, she's won Olympic gold, she's won at different levels. So, you really appreciate that type of player, but also the mindset that we get to walk in with every day and try to go win another one."

Added Wilson: "From our Olympic years as teammates, just through my career, she's always been someone that I admire. Just to play alongside her, a champion, the way that she carries herself is so special to me, and I'm glad that we're able to finally get her in our locker room."

Wilson said her newest All-Star teammate, who was acquired from Seattle in the three-way trade that sent Kelsey Plum to Los Angeles, has not only fit in on the court, but also in a championship-caliber organization that's been built on specific types of individuals.

"Because that's just our culture," Wilson said. "That's who we are. And when we're talking about people in our locker room, whether it's me, Becky talking, we always make sure we bring in good character people. Like we have that. We draft that. And so we really don't skip a beat, and that's the beautiful thing about it, I think we have a great core group of girls now, and now it's time to have fun."

HIDDEN GEM

Loyd said she's rarely taken the time to appreciate what she's meant to the sport and to the WNBA, as she's spent the majority of her career "in awe of everyone else."

"I always kind of see myself just as a normal, regular person," said Loyd, whose 5,536 points lead the WNBA since 2015, when she was awarded Rookie of the Year. "Obviously, I know what I'm capable of, and I know I have value. But I'm always in awe of everyone else, and I always take this opportunity just to learn from everyone else.

"You want to play the purity of basketball. You want to be around greatness. You want to have appreciation for everyone, from the coaching staff, to media, to everyone and that's what you feel here."

Loyd's humbleness and professionalism haven't escaped coach Becky Hammon's notice, either. The 2022 WNBA Coach of the Year, who retired as a player one year before Loyd's rookie season, knows exactly what she has in her latest superstar to join the roster.

"It's a lot better playing with her than trying to guard her, as we know," Hammon said. "So to add that caliber of a player, I would say there's a very elite group of players, and she's one of them. So to add her to our group, it's been pretty seamless. She fits right in with what we're trying to do. And I think we're about to release a Jewell on the world that the world quite hasn't seen.

"She picks up things quickly. She has great feel. She has great presence to her. She's not like that overly rah, rah, in-your-face competitor. She's like a silent killer. Don't let whatever's on her face fool you. There's always that killer instinct right below the surface, but she just kind of does it in her own way, which is really special. She's cold-blooded, for sure."