Storm's Hughes retires: Rigors of coaching 'have taken their toll'

Seattle Storm head coach Dan Hughes is retiring from the WNBA, the club announced Sunday.

Associate Noelle Quinn will assume head coaching duties for the defending champions.

Hughes, a two-time WNBA Coach of the Year, will continue in his role as an assistant on Dawn Staley's USA Basketball staff ahead of the Tokyo Games this summer.

"I believe now is the right time because the team is performing well, but the rigors of being a head coach in the WNBA have taken their toll on me," Hughes said in a club-issued statement. "I look forward to coaching with USA Basketball at the 2021 Olympics then leveraging my experience to give back to the game in other ways."

Hughes' 598 appearances on the sideline rank second in league history, while his 286 coaching wins are tied for third.

The 66-year-old won titles with the Storm in 2018 and 2020, though he was unable to be with the team in the WNBA bubble last summer after a medical assessment determined he was at higher risk for contracting severe illness amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Gary Kloppenburg served as interim head coach in Hughes' absence.

Hughes previously missed a portion of the 2019 season after undergoing successful cancer treatment to remove a tumor on his digestive tract.

The Storm rank second in the standings with a 5-1 record just over two weeks into the 2021 season. With 2018 league MVP Breanna Stewart and star guards Sue Bird and Jewell Loyd leading the title defense, pundits and oddsmakers alike expect the team to have a strong shot at repeating as league champions.

"It is rare when a leader has the foresight to make changes at the pinnacle of their career," said Storm co-owner Lisa Brummel, adding that Hughes "will forever be attached to one of the most successful periods this franchise has known."