The “Gold Mamba” Jewell Loyd is such a dynamic all-around basketball player that is renowned for her scoring ability, versatility, and poise in the clutch. Loyd rose to prominence as a high school star out of Lincolnwood, Illinois. She eventually earned a scholarship to the University of Notre Dame where her career started to rapidly ascend. At Notre Dame, she became one of the nation’s top players as she led the Fighting Irish to two Final Four appearances. Throughout her career at Notre Dame, she averaged 14.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game over her college career. In her junior year alone, she averaged 19.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.0 assists, cementing her status as one of the best players in the country. Loyd helped lead Notre Dame to three consecutive Final Four appearances and two national championship games while earning multiple honors during her time. Loyd was named a First-Team All-American twice in 2014 and 2015 as well as the ESPNW National Player of the Year in 2015.
Loyd would forgo her senior season to declare for the WNBA Draft, where she was selected first overall by the Seattle Storm. Her rookie season was marked by immediate impact, as she was named the 2015 WNBA Rookie of the Year, demonstrating her potential as a future star. Over the years, a stardom is what Lloyd has accomplished. Loyd’s career took a significant leap with the arrival of Breanna Stewart to the Storm in 2016, forming a formidable duo. Together, they led Seattle to two WNBA Championships in 2018 and 2020. In both championship runs, Loyd was the engine that helped propel the Storm, especially in 2018 when she was the team’s leading scorer. As a result of her consistently incredible play, she has been named to 6 All-Star teams, 3 All-WNBA selections, and she even won the 2023 WNBA All-Star Game MVP.
Beyond the WNBA, Loyd has also had a successful international career. She has won gold medals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and 2024 Paris Olympics, further cementing her status as one of the elite players in the world. I think she’ll be most effective in the Unrivaled League scoring within the mid-range. She’s extraordinarily good at dribble penetration that it’s hard to stay in front of and keep her from getting to her spots for those pull up jumpers. Loyd’s quickness and handle mixed with her athleticism allows her to slash to the basket and finish in traffic, since there’s only three defenders, there won’t be much congestion affecting her which makes her extremely dangerous.
