Global athletes are increasingly rising to prominence as top talents in professional basketball. The Seattle Storm anticipates this trend will persist, having chosen Spanish center Awa Fam as their third overall selection in the 2026 WNBA Draft.
Fam, who will celebrate her 20th birthday on June 17, represents a high-potential acquisition for the Storm. However, as a team navigating a challenging path from the league’s lower ranks, she is a prospect who will be afforded time to mature, as Seattle aims to revitalize a squad that has exited the WNBA playoffs in the initial round for two consecutive seasons.
Standing 6 feet, 4 inches tall, Fam is unlikely to face immediate pressure to join the starting lineup. The Storm has secured free agent Stefanie Dolson to occupy the center position and also features Dominique Malonga, who completed a rookie season averaging 7.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.
Furthermore, the newly appointed head coach, Sonia Raman, possesses expertise in athlete development, talent scouting, and analytical methods, having previously served in these capacities as an assistant with the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies.
Fam already holds extensive international professional experience, having competed for four seasons with Valencia BC in the EuroLeague. During the current year, she achieved averages of 9.1 points and 4.9 rebounds per contest. For the 2024-25 season, she was loaned to Liga Femenina’s Gernika KESB, where her averages climbed to 15.9 points and 10.7 rebounds.
At the 2023 FIBA Under-19 World Cup, Fam posted averages of 10.7 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists, contributing to Spain’s national team securing a silver medal. She also recorded more than eight points and four rebounds per game during last summer’s EuroBasket tournament and the FIBA Women’s World Cup qualifying tournament earlier this spring.
The Storm made a change at head coach, replacing Noelle Quinn, after concluding the season with a 23-21 record and earning a spot in the WNBA playoffs as the No. 7 seed, winning a tiebreaker against the expansion Golden State Valkyries. This decision marked the beginning of a team restructuring, further bolstered when the team secured the No. 3 pick in the WNBA Draft Lottery, a selection obtained from the Los Angeles Sparks in a 2024 exchange for guard Kia Nurse.
Seattle is set to present a significantly altered roster in the upcoming season, following the departure of Nneka Ogwumike to the Sparks and Skylar Diggins-Smith’s free agency signing with the Chicago Sky. In addition to Dolson, the Storm acquired guard Natisha Hiedeman and forward Katie Lou Samuelson, while also retaining guard Zia Cooke and forward Mackenzie Holmes.
Storm general manager Talisa Rhea additionally brought in LSU guard Flau’jae Johnson in a draft-day transaction, sending the No. 16 selection Marta Suárez and a 2028 second-round pick to the Valkyries. Johnson was initially chosen eighth overall by Golden State.
