SEATTLE — A Storm column in three tenses:

— The past: The story heading into Sunday’s matchup between the Storm and the Las Vegas Aces was Jewell Loyd, the former Seattle star who won two championships here before forcing her way out after a tense offseason. That’s what brought out a good chunk of the 10,634 fans at Climate Pledge Arena — and they didn’t come to boo.

No, following a video tribute to Loyd, the crowd universally cheered for a player who spent 10 years with the Storm and made six All-Star appearances.

A dependable scorer supplementing Breanna Stewart and Sue Bird, Jewell was a fundamental piece to Seattle’s WNBA titles in 2018 and 2020. But after two disappointing seasons — including a 2024 in which she shot just 36% from the field — Loyd asked for a trade this offseason on the heels of uncorroborated harassment claims she made against the organization.

In other words, it wasn’t all fun times here. And Loyd’s performance Sunday — in which she made four of her first five shots but missed her next 10 — was reminiscent of both her shine and shortcomings with this team.

Nevertheless, asked postgame if she had a message for the fans, Loyd was all love.

“The big thing is ‘thank you’,” said Loyd, who finished with 14 points on 4-of-15 shooting for the Aces in their 102-82 loss to the Storm. “I’m appreciative of the times I’ve been here.”

— The present: Yes, that 102-82 final is real. And that win didn’t come against an upstart such as the Valkyries or a cellar dweller such as the Wings. The Aces (2-2) aren’t that far removed from their back-to-back championships in 2022 and 2023. And they still have three of the league’s top 16 players according to ESPN’s preseason rankings — including No. 1 (and reigning WNBA MVP) A’ja Wilson. But the Storm (3-1) dominated Sunday. They led by as many as 27 in the third quarter and went on to snap a seven-game losing streak against one of the league’s elite clubs.

The production came from across the roster and from just about every spot on the court. Forward Nneka Ogwumike had 23 points on 10-of-15 shooting. Point guard Erica Wheeler had 21 points off the bench. Forwards Gabby Williams and Ezi Magbegor each had 12 points, with the latter adding seven rebounds. And starting point guard Skylar Diggins had 10 points and eight assists.

As significant as anything, though, was the Storm neutralizing Wilson, holding her to 15 points and five rebounds on 5-of-11 shooting. I’m not going to go so far as to say this is what the Storm are like without Loyd. It’s too early for that. But on this day — and it’s just one day — they looked like a championship team.

“A lot of times the Aces are measuring sticks throughout the season because they’re a well-oiled machine and have so much firepower at every position,” Storm coach Noelle Quinn said. “To have a win like this this early, it’s good to grow from, good to see where we can be and who we can be against top teams in this league.”

— The future: Not yet mentioned is the player who might have more upside than anybody who was on the court Sunday — rookie Dominique Malonga, the 6-foot-6 French center selected second in last month’s WNBA draft. The Storm acquired that pick by trading away Loyd, and the 12 minutes Malonga played Sunday offered glimpses into how valuable she can be.

In that span, the 19-year-old — who was dunking with ease in warm-ups — scored eight points on 4-of-7 shooting while pulling down five rebounds. One of those shots was a 20-footer, reminding fans of the Victor Wembanyama comparisons she drew before the draft. The other three were layups, including one in which she fumbled the ball after breaking away from the pack on a fast break.

Did you think a dunk was coming? Quinn was asked.

“I for sure did,” she said.

Most of the crowd likely did, too.

Hard to say how much playing time Malonga will get this season. The Storm’s sizable lead was integral to her logging her highest minute count of the year. But man … we saw flashes.

“She’s a smart player. You can tell she soaks everything in,” said Ogwumike of Malonga. “I think every day is some level of improvement or some level of evolution.”

Loyd gave the Storm 10 years, most of which were high-quality. Malonga might give them a lot more.

In the meantime, this Seattle squad looks rejuvenated. Enjoy them in the now.

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