Storm's Jade Melbourne chips front tooth diving for loose ball vs. Valkyries
Melbourne hit the court face-first, leaving her looking like Team USA's Jack Hughes in the men's gold medal hockey game.
If anyone wanted to doubt the toughness of WNBA players, the Seattle Storm’s Jade Melbourne has something to say about that. During the second quarter of Seattle’s season opener versus the Golden State Valkyries, Melbourne dove for a loose ball after knocking it away from Veronica Burton. Unfortunately for Melbourne, Burton landed right on top of her, forcing her face into the court and chipping her tooth.
Oh my goodness, Jade Melbourne chips a tooth while diving onto the floor for the ball #WNBA pic. twitter. com/2hzf16kMza — Danielle Hobeika (@DanielleHobeika) May 9, 2026 Melbourne didn’t stay down on the court while covering her mouth.
She picked up the tooth, handed it to an athletic trainer and stayed in the game. The fourth-year guard didn’t go to the bench or the locker room despite resembling Jack Hughes during Team USA’s gold medal hockey game versus Canada. After chipping that tooth, Melbourne was also whistled for a personal foul on Burton for the play.
The guard led Seattle with 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting (including 2-for-3 on 3-pointers) at halftime as the Storm trailed the Valkyries, 49-41.