BYU women’s hoops alumna Paisley Harding opens training camp with Seattle Storm

Former BYU women’s basketball star Paisley Harding began her first WNBA training camp with the Seattle Storm Sunday, having signed a camp contract following the league draft this past week.

“There’s a lot of different concepts and plays thrown at us, but that’s the type of basketball I like to play,” Harding said following an early practice. “It’ll be a process, but it’s fun for me.”

Harding averaged a career best 17.1 points per game on 45% shooting in her final season at BYU, earning her third straight All-WCC First Team selection as a key piece for the most explosive team in program history. Harding averaged 13.3 points over five seasons in Provo and set the school record with 146 career games played.

Harding — an Everett, Washington native who played her high school days just 40 minutes from downtown Seattle — joins her hometown Storm, who have won two of the past four WNBA titles and finished 21-11 in 2021 to place third in the Western Conference.

“I feel like a hometown hero almost for the girls back in Everett,” Harding said. “We can make it out of a small town and make it to the WNBA. I feel really blessed to be able to do that.”

Harding’s Storm teammates include 12-time All-Star Sue Bird and 2018 league MVP Brenna Stewart, each considered among the elite talent of the WNBA and have helped establish Seattle as a consistent force in the league.

“My locker is right between (Bird and Stewart) so it’s kind of intimidating walking to the locker room, but they’ve been nothing but nice and willing to help out,” Harding said. “It really is surreal being able to be in their presence and trying to learn as much as I can from them.”

The Storm will continue training camp for the next two weeks, where Harding looks to earn a permanent spot on the roster. Seattle opens its regular season on Friday, May 6 against Minnesota.