Seattle Storm CFO Tricia McLean dies at age 61
Seattle Storm CFO Tricia McLean (Seattle Storm)
SEATTLE - Tricia McLean, the Chief Financial Officer of the Seattle Storm, died Monday from a medical emergency. She was 61.
McLean spent 16 years with the Storm and was the team's longest-tenured employee. She joined the franchise in 2008 as Vice President of Finance and Human Resources shortly after Force 10 Hoops purchased the team from Clay Bennett to keep the team in Seattle following Bennett and the NBA's relocation of the Supersonics franchise to Oklahoma City.
"We are shocked by her unexpected passing, and profoundly aware of how important Tricia was to our Storm organization and the city’s sports community. She served as a member of our leadership team, but additionally Tricia was a dear partner and friend," Storm co-owner Ginny Gilder said in a statement on Thursday.
McLean was promoted to CFO in 2014 and was named the CFO of the year in 2019 by the Puget Sound Business Journal. She remained in the role until her passing on Monday.
The Storm won three of their four WNBA titles during McLean’s tenure with the organization, with the two most recent titles in 2018 and 2020 coming after her promotion to CFO. The 2020 championship came playing in the WNBA "bubble" in Bradenton, Fla., during the COVID-19 pandemic and featured a 3-0 series sweep of the Las Vegas Aces.
"With her at our financial helm, we won three championships and became one of the most fiscally sound franchises in the WNBA," Gilder continued in her statement. "It was always a delight to see her and her husband, Chuck, at Storm games. We would exchange hugs and then, of course, she’d comment on some aspect of our business, how the crowd looked, how busy the team shop was, whether we were going to have a good game. That’s who she was: mixing business and pleasure routinely.
"Tricia’s role at the Seattle Storm was only part of her vibrant and full life. She and Chuck raised three children, Chelsea, Charlie, and Julianne. Knowing how central Tricia was to our organization, we can guess how central she was to her family. We are heartbroken over their loss and offer our deepest condolences as they negotiate the painful road ahead."