Storm lose another player for season to ACL injury

Forward Katie Lou Samuelson, who rejoined the Seattle Storm during the offseason, was injured at practice Thursday.

May 4, 2025, 10:23 AM

Katie Lou Samuelson of the Seattle Storm goes up for a layup during a 2021 game. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

(Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

SEATTLE — Seattle Storm forward Katie Lou Samuelson is expected to miss the 2025 WNBA season due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee, the team announced Saturday.

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Samuelson, 27, suffered the injury during practice on Thursday, the team said.

The UConn graduate has dealt with other injuries in her basketball career, including a broken foot, an ankle injury and a back injury.

Samuelson signed a one-year deal with the Storm in February, which marked her return to the franchise she played with during the 2021 season. The former No. 4 overall pick has averaged 5.9 points and 2.5 rebounds per game during her WNBA career.

Samuelson is the latest Storm player to go down for the season with a torn ACL. The team in April announced forward Jordan Horston and guard Nika Mühl would miss the season with the same injury. Horston tore her ACL playing for Athletes Unlimited in February and Mühl did playing for Besiktas JK in Turkey during November.

Horston, the No. 9 overall pick by the Storm in the 2023 WNBA Draft, averaged 6.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game while finishing fifth in the Sixth Woman of the Year and Most Improved Player voting last season. Mühl, a second-round pick in the 2024 draft, averaged 0.1 points, 0.6 rebounds and 0.4 assists in 16 games as a rookie.

The Storm are also set to be down three more bodies for their preseason game Sunday at Climate Pledge Arena against the Connecticut Sun, according to a report from The Seattle Times’ Percy Allen. Forward Gabby Williams, center Ezi Magbegor and 2025 No. 2 overall pick Dominique Malonga will sit out for rest after recently playing overseas.

The Seattle Sports staff contributed to this report.