PHOENIX — From the bottom of her right ear, etched precariously down the side of her neck, is the reminder of what Jewell Loyd has gone through the last year.
“I’m resilient,” Loyd said.
That was the response Loyd gave when asked what she has learned most about herself after spending the first 10 years of her career in Seattle — how she’s adjusting to new life in a new chapter of her career.
She answered without being prompted about the tattoo she got before her first season in Las Vegas.
The word “resilient” stretches vertically down her neck. It’s a mantra of what the Aces’ sharpshooting guard has endured, sketched in the most sensitive of areas.
“Knowing that I’ve grown a lot in who I am, where my life’s at,” Loyd said, “it’s way bigger than basketball to me. Little things that I tried to do earlier in my career or do things you try to prove, that’s irrelevant.”
Loyd’s first season in Las Vegas could end Friday hoisting the WNBA trophy when the Aces attempt to complete a 4-0 finals sweep of the Phoenix Mercury. The title would be the Aces’ third in four seasons.
‘It’s been nice’
The 32-year-old’s resiliency was tested before she even joined the Aces.
Loyd requested a trade from the Seattle Storm — the team that drafted her No. 1 overall in 2015 — in December, three weeks after the team launched an investigation regarding accusations of harassment and bullying from the coaching staff. No wrongdoing was found.
She was traded to the Aces on Jan. 26 in a three-team deal that sent standout guard Kelsey Plum to the Los Angeles Sparks.
Loyd has never responded publicly to what went wrong in Seattle. She also took the high road when a Storm assistant coach allegedly cursed at Loyd in her return to Seattle on June 1.
Whatever happened, Loyd has moved on. Her new surroundings have put her at peace with everything.
“It’s been nice to be in a new area and new city, find out more about myself,” Loyd said. “Just being around great people. I can’t say enough. This organization, from top to bottom, has been some of the best people I’ve been around, just understanding who we are as people, what we need as people.”
The transition on the court, however, got off to a slow start. Loyd’s 11.2 points per game this season were the lowest since her rookie of the year campaign in 2015 (10.7). She started the first 25 games, averaging 10.4 points on 36 percent shooting.
Then she approached coach Becky Hammon with a crazy idea: Move her to the bench.
It worked. The Aces won 18 of their next 19 games, including the franchise-record 16-game winning streak they took into the playoffs. Loyd, in 27 minutes, shot 42 percent from the floor and 41 percent from 3-point range in that stretch.
“She just keeps playing the game and the next play, and that’s really great as a coach,” Hammon said. “But as a teammate, she’s about the next play and winning the next play for the group, whoever that is.”
Mamba mentality
The Aces didn’t get off to as slow of a start in Game 3 of the finals as they did the first two games. They trailed 8-4, but weren’t playing poorly in a hostile environment against a team trailing 2-0 in the best-of-seven series.
Loyd entered the game with 6:57 remaining in the first quarter.
Point guard Chelsea Gray said Loyd’s “calm, confident personality” is infectious. Though Loyd isn’t as loud as she is, Gray sees “a lot of relatable things with her and Kobe (Bryant) being around her.”
Loyd, nicknamed the Gold Mamba by the late NBA legend, channeled that mindset with four straight 3-pointers during a 17-0 run to take a 21-8 lead.
Those were the only baskets Loyd made. She finished with 16 points in 30 minutes, but that stretch was crucial to the Aces’ 90-88 win Wednesday.
“I know everybody looks at the stat sheet and goes, ‘Oh, she had four 3s.’ But she’s doing so many other things,” Hammon said. “Sprinting to the corner and getting space for everybody. It’s such a selfless thing.”
‘That damn Jewell Loyd’
Loyd, a two-time champion with the Storm, improved to 9-0 all time in the WNBA Finals. Three of those wins came against the Aces in the 2020 “Wubble” during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bradenton, Florida.
A’ja Wilson had a front-row seat to it all in her first finals appearance that year. She knew the series was over before it started.
Not because of how overmatched the Aces were against a high-powered Seattle team.
“When I saw Jewell with gold Kobes on, I said, ‘Yeah, it’s been cool,’ ” Wilson said, laughing.
The four-time WNBA MVP has gotten to appreciate Loyd’s work ethic, calling it “magical.” Her footwork and finding ways to create space are masterful.
“Sometimes my jaw is dropped because I’m like, ‘That’s that damn Jewell Loyd,’” Wilson said. “I’m grateful that she’s now with us, for sure.”
Loyd appreciates the culture that the Aces have set. She said Hammon always asks about family and other off-court things that make it easier to come to work.
When it comes to basketball, Loyd said, she just wants to play, and “we want to celebrate everyone.”
She’s one win from celebrating a championship for a third time, putting a cap on the season that is her new tattoo’s namesake.
“I’ve never liked the attention. I’m glad that it’s never been about me,” Loyd said. “But now I’m able to really connect with all the people and give back.”
