Awa Fam's Seattle Storm debut was well worth the wait, as the imported rookie reached double-figures in her maiden WNBA voyage.
Climate Pledge Arena, home of the Seattle Storm, is officially the Hall of Fame.
The sneakers of Awa Fam touched WNBA hardwood for the first time on Sunday, as the third overall pick of the league's most recent draft suited up for the Seattle Storm. Following in the footsteps of fellow thirds Tamika Catchings, Cheryl Ford, Courtney Vandersloot, and more, Fam scored 10 points in 20 minutes as the Storm stifled the Washington Mystics by a 97-85 final on Sunday night.
Fam's delayed debut thanks to the fulfillment of international duties in her native Spain earned positive reviews, with head coach Sonia Raman and leading scorer Natisha Hiedeman among those applauding.
“She’s still learning, obviously, just joined us (Saturday) on the court," the first-boss Raman said. [We] saw a lot of really good stuff out there. You can see what’s there, right, just the way she moves, her ability in pick-and-rolls, her court sense in terms of finding her teammates. I think we’re just going to see her grow in those areas as she gets more comfortable. Right now, she’s still learning where she’s supposed to be on both ends, but really good debut for her.”
"Fresh off the flight a couple of days ago, I think not even one practice," Hiedeman, scorer of a career-best 24, noted while expressing her excitement at working with Fam in the pick-and-roll in the post-game press conference. "Just for her to come in and be able to gel with us and just kind of listen to what we're trying to help her do, trying to talk through the plays out there in action, I think that just takes a great basketball player, and I know that's what she is. Having her on the court tonight felt really good ... We're going to build chemistry."
Set to turn 20 next month, Fam became the 14th teenager to appear on a WNBA floor (second this season, next to Nell Angloma of Indiana). She's just the second such aged to reach double-figures in her maiden voyage next to Liz Cambage's original showing with the Tulsa Shock in 2011 and the first to pull that unique feat off the bench. Fam earned an early birthday present in her homeland before making the flight over to Seattle, as she helped Valencia Basket earn its fourth title in Liga Femenina de Baloncesto.
Hot Dub Time Machine
With the team having lost each of its top five scorers from last year, some have already placed the season of the Storm (3-4) in the write-off department. Early injuries to incumbents Ezi Magbegor and Dominique Malonga have only further pushed such a theory.
But Sunday's win over Washington, forming Seattle's first 2026 winning streak, combined with an 18-point pummeling of Connecticut that opened the weekend, could be legitimately considered a hopeful glimpse into the future.
"I don't know if I had an exact idea in mind of what the trajectory was going to be, but the idea is always to try and get better every day," Raman said. "I feel good about the fact that this team is really hungry to get better, hungry to grow, hungry to win. The way that they approach every session that we're together as a group, with that professionalism and that hunger, is something that really bodes well for us in terms of what we can do and what that trajectory could be."
Esta fue la primera canasta de Awa Fam como jugadora de la WNBA.
— Manu Fresno (@Maanuf96) May 24, 2026
El que esperemos que sea el comienzo de una de las etapas más brillantes de una española en USA.pic.twitter.com/vTULoPc99P
Seattle screenwriters couldn't have scripted a better entry onto the WNBA scoring ledgers: Fam flaunted her pick-and-roll prowess with a fantastic flourish, banking in a driving double in the penultimate minute of the first half. To top it off, the finishing feed came from Flau'jae Johnson, another hyped draft night yield for the Pacific Northwest and another expected headliner as the team continues to form a new identity sans Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart.
"I feel very good today. It was like the first steps, so more steps are coming," Fam said. "It was more, not nervous, it was more like I need to be focused and I need to be just in. This is basketball ... it's the WNBA, know what it is. But I need to relax, to do the things that I love to do."
How Lethal Can Seattle's Frontcourt Become?
An offensive breakout from Hiedeman, as well as a defensive shutdown (one that limited Sonia Citron, Fam's third pick predecessor, to but two points in the first half), certainly allowed Fam to find a sense of peace. She would score eight more points in a second half where the Seattle lead ballooned to as high as 25 and shut down Washington's potential with its own backcourt surplus. While Fam's rawness was on display in the form of four fouls, she hit both of her tries from the field in the fourth and sank two free throws to serve as the Storm's leading scorer over the last 10.
.@awaafaam_ has entered the chat ⛈️ pic.twitter.com/absDrLNIno
— Seattle Storm (@seattlestorm) May 25, 2026
Fam's first sequel comes against a familiar foe, as the Storm hosts the Mystics again on Wednesday night in Seattle (7 p.m. PT, KUNS/Prime Video). Even if Seattle's early momentum subsides, there should be no quelling the hype around one of the league's more intriguing frontcourts: Fam is set to enter a de facto apprenticeship alongside next to Magbegor, Malonga, and Stefanie Dolson, who is in town on a one-year deal.
“I don’t know if we’ve seen this type of a frontcourt,” Raman said following Fam's drafting in April, per Bella Munson of The IX Sports. “I’m excited for the creativity that allows us as coaches to lean into some really innovative ways that we’re going to use them on both ends. So obviously, more to come there.
"I think being young, they’re going to develop together, they’re going to develop that chemistry with each other. And there’s a lot of ways that we’re going to be able to move them around and be able to kind of play off of each other in a really dynamic way.”
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
