Seattle Storm rookies, including Flau'jae Johnson, set for WNBA preseason debut

The dream is almost real for the Storm's three drafted rookies.

Participating in training camp this week is one thing, but stepping on the Chase Center court for Saturday's 5:30 p.m. exhibition against Golden State is something entirely different for Seattle's trio of newcomers.

"It's going to be different because it's a different level," said guard Flau'jae Johnson, who starred at LSU the past four seasons and was taken No. 8 overall in the WNBA draft. "For me, it's kind of like, it's the same game. You can't really make it bigger than what it is.

"Just putting the ball in the basket, the same thing you've been doing since you was a kid. That's the mentality I try to go out with and then just adjust. It's going to be an adjustment just like the SEC was an adjustment for me coming out of high school, the WNBA is going to be a major adjustment."

Admittedly, the 22-year-old Johnson didn't grow up in Savannah, Ga., fantasizing about playing professional basketball.

"When I was in high school, I wasn't really focused on basketball," said Johnson, a recording artist/rapper who began a music career when she was 7 years old. "I didn't really start training until my 10th or 11th grade year.

"I'm not going to lie, I didn't even know you could go to college and play basketball. For real. I was making music. Then when I got to college and I started dominating, I was like ‘I want to play on the next level with the best players.'"

The same is true of for rookie guard Taina Mair.

"I feel like it became a possibility toward the end of my senior season, to be quite honest," said Mair, the former Duke standout who was taken No. 14 overall in the draft. "I never thought about playing in (the WNBA). I always wanted to play overseas, just to travel.

"As you continue to play good and get opportunities and hear talks about yourself, it just becomes an opportunity that you never want to turn down."

And then there's Grace VanSlooten.

She started playing soccer before discovering a passion for basketball in middle school.

"Seventh grade," she said when asked when her WNBA dream began. "I played up with the eighth-grade team and I played pretty well for that. I was just kind of like, you might as well see where this goes. It's not one specific moment, but over the course of a year or two, I found my thing."

Unlike Johnson and Mair who are virtual locks to capture a spot on the 12-player roster, there's no guarantees for VanSlooten, the former Michigan State star forward who was drafted in the third round.

Seemingly, she'll get a long look Saturday considering forward Ezi Magbegor (foot) is out while rookie forward Awa Fam is in Spain.

The other available power forwards on the roster include training camp invitees Mackenzie Holmes and Beatrice Mompremier.

"I'm just kind of treating every day the same," VanSlooten said. "I'm just coming in here and working hard and playing hard. I know, obviously I'm not going to be, you know, dropping 20 points a game or anything. So I'm going to do the little work, basically, anything I can do to get on the court. That's my main goal.

"I know I'm going to be really, really excited. Definitely, some nerves, for sure. But honestly, just really grateful for this opportunity. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I'm just going to make the most of it."

It's the first of two exhibitions for the Storm, who host the expansion Portland Fire Wednesday and start the regular season May 8 with a rematch against Golden State.

In addition to its rookies, Seattle will unveil a new-look lineup featuring holdover Dominique Malonga and missing several players who are out with injuries including Magbegor, Jordan Horston (knee), Natisha Hiedeman (foot) and Katie Lou Samuelson (knee).

"We're still in training camp mode, and we're still growing," first-year coach Sonia Raman said. "We're not going to have our whole playbook in yet. We're not going to have all of our adjustments and all of our in-game things in.

"So really, what we're doing is we're trying to evaluate us on the things that we've installed this week, and the things we've been really emphasizing. How good can we be at those things on Saturday? That's really our focus. Our focus is on us and really only us."

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This story was originally published April 25, 2026 at 6:38 AM.