Ezi Magbegor will miss at least the first six to eight weeks of the 2026 WNBA season after suffering a right foot injury while representing Australia in the FIBA Basketball World Cup Qualifiers in Istanbul.

The Seattle Storm announced the news on Monday, with updates on her recovery expected at the end of that window.

The injury occurred three games into the qualifying tournament in early March, cutting short a dominant run for Magbegor with the Opals, as she averaged 14.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists before being ruled out of the final two games.

Back in Seattle for training camp,Ezi Magbegor kept her tone measured, saying, “Injuries are unfortunate, but I’m feeling good.”

“It’s nice to be back here in Seattle and with the team. I’m still working to just get back in those six to eight weeks. So just taking it day by day, working with the medical team here,” she added.

The timing is particularly difficult given what Ezi Magbegor promised heading into this season.

She re-signed with the Storm on a three-year, $3.75 million deal, the richest contract in WNBA history at signing, after leading the league with a career-high 96 blocks in 2025.

Over 44 games, she averaged 8.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks, anchoring a defense that now has to hold shape without her.

Having said that, the six-to-eight-week timeline puts her return somewhere around mid-June, meaning she could miss 15 to 20 games of the regular season.

Seattle Storm Face Early Test as Ezi Magbegor Recovers

The absence lands on a Storm team that lost its top five scorers from last season in free agency, including Nneka Ogwumike, Skylar Diggins, Gabby Williams, Brittney Sykes, and Erica Wheeler. What remains is a roster being rebuilt around young talent, with Magbegor as the one proven anchor in the front court.

Sophomore center Dominique Malonga, Seattle’s No. 2 pick in 2025, is the most likely player to absorb the starting role. The 6’6 center averaged 7.7 points and 4.6 rebounds in her rookie season and earned All-Rookie honors.

Alongside her, draft additions Awa Fam and Flau’jae Johnson join returning guards Natisha Hiedeman, Zia Cooke, Jordan Horston, and wing Katie Lou Samuelson in a group that will need to produce quickly.

Hiedeman, signed to a two-year deal after averaging 9.1 points with Minnesota last season, takes on added importance as the primary playmaker during this stretch.

The Storm open their season May 8 against the Golden State Valkyries.

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Written by

Shahul Hameed

Edited by

Arvind Rao