Jordan Horston ready to bring ‘brand-new me' to revamped Seattle Storm
The song choice is intentional. Jordan Horston purposely picked the playlist blaring inside the Storm practice facility for her winter morning workout months ago.
"We fall down, but we get up. For a saint is just a sinner who fell down, but we couldn't stay there and got up."
Admittedly, Horston is going through a gospel phase and the 2000 hit We Fall Down by Donnie McClurkin serves as inspiration and a fitting metaphor for the Storm forward who is nearing a return from an ACL injury that wiped away her 2025 WNBA season.
"This whole offseason, I've been on my gospel real heavy," Horston said. "So, whenever I'm in the gym, everybody knows we're playing gospel. I'd be dying in the workout and the only thing that was going to get me through it is God. So, that's why I always had some empowering, uplifting music going while working out."
She remembers those were emotional days when she would sometimes cry or celebrate after a grueling conditioning session in which she fell short or surpassed milestones on long road to recovery.
Physically, the 6-foot-2, 165-pound forward looks and feels different from she did when she last played with the Storm in 2024.
"I've gotten stronger just for the safety of my legs," she said, smiling and flexing her right biceps. "I want to bully some people a little bit this year, and then knock down some shots. Catch and shoots are going to be money this year."
Horston, the No. 9 overall pick in the 2023 WNBA draft and the second-longest tenured Storm player on a revamped roster, is anxious to take the next steps in what she calls the "brand-new me" chapter of her basketball career.
In many ways, her life irrevocably changed Feb. 7, 2025 while playing in an Athletes Unlimited game in Nashville, Tenn.
"That was a weird day," said the 24-year-old Horston, who celebrates a birthday next month. "I woke up and it was just like one of those strange days. It was a game day, but it didn't really feel like a game day. I remember Zia (Cooke) called me that day. She said: ‘Don't nobody know this yet, but they plan on signing me at Seattle. We're going to finally be able to play together. And I'm like, ‘Man, that's crazy. That's good.' I was happy. So, I'm like, ‘I'm about to play this game at AU and we'll talk more after the game.'
"I do my regular warmup, but it was just kind of off. That day there was two other injuries. Two people went out with season-ending injuries. The game before somebody went down and ruptured their Achilles and then five minutes later, another girl went down and ruptured her Achilles. Then I was in the next game, and I tore my ACL."
With her team leading midway in the third quarter, Horston collected a defensive rebound and led the charge on a fast break. After splitting two defenders, her left leg buckled, which caused her to fall on the court where she clutched her knee, yelled and grimaced in pain.
"When it happened, I knew," Horston said. "But I was trying to keep hope alive. Just hoping and praying that it was just a hyper extension. But I couldn't put no pressure on it. The crazy thing is, (former Storm coach) Noey (Quinn) was at the game that day and I was super hyped and super pumped about it. I was happy that my coaches were here and then I went down.
"It was a pretty tough day. If I had to explain that day, it was just weird, strange day. It wasn't normal at all."
But here's where things get really bizarre.
Despite missing the 2025 WNBA season, undergoing months of grueling recovery that she called "the hardest thing I've ever gone through" and facing an uncertain return in 2026, Horston wouldn't change anything if given a chance.
"I know people might not believe me when I say that, but it's true," she said. "I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, so I don't regret it happening. Of course, nobody wants to be injured. Any competitor wants to be out there competing with their teammates, of course, but I was meant to sit down for some reason, and I felt like I've learned a lot about myself and a lot about my body that I needed to know.
"Now I have those tools for the rest of my career, and I'll be even better and sharper, so I can play longer. So no, I don't regret anything. I'm firm believer that everything happens for a reason. I believe in God, and I believe that He doesn't make any mistakes."
In addition to rehabbing her left knee, which was repaired by Dr. Neil Roberts at Providence Medical Center in Seattle on March 14, Horston spent the past year tweaking an erratic perimeter jump shot.
During her first two years in the WNBA, she averaged 6.9 points while shooting 42.4% from the field. However, her 24.7% shooting on three-pointers (23 of 93) limited her offensive potential.
"I started changing my shot my last season (in 2024), and then I changed my shot completely last year," Horston said. "So now I'm just fine tuning that. When I got hurt, I was able to really lock in and perfect how I want to change my shot. So, this is going on Year 2 with a new shot."
Under the guidance of new coach Sonia Raman and player development coach Marcus Tibbs, Horston recrafted her shooting mechanics.
"We broke down everything," she said. "I used to shoot from the side of my face and my finger would be pointed. My legs would be all over the place and my wrist wasn't loaded. Now I got a loaded wrist. I'm shooting with two fingers, keeping my hand straight, starting at the eye, not crossing my face and getting into the pocket a lot cleaner.
Only a handful of observers have seen the progress Horston has made because she didn't play in either preseason game.
She's hoping to make her return in Friday's regular-season opener.
"I'm getting a little taste in training camp," Horston said. "Of course, I feel like I'm ready and ready to run, but we still got to be strategic, because we're working for that first game. It's like I'm at the start line. I can smell it. I can feel it. Now, it's just listening to my body and the people that's working with me.
"My No. 1 telltale is my body. I'm listening to that first and then it goes to the professionals and trusting them because they're the people that have a little bit more information on how to do this. So, I'm listening to them and we all just collaborate and work together."
It's not immediately clear how Horston will fit into revamped lineup that'll include five new starters, but seemingly she'll split time with veteran sharpshooter Katie Lou Samuelson, who is also returning from an ACL injury.
"Jordy is going to bring what she brings and that's her versatility and ability to play multiple positions," Raman said. "She's got really good vision. She's a really good playmaker. And then on the defensive end, her ability to guard one on one, her ability to switch, I think she's got just a really good court awareness on both ends of the floor. So, we're looking forward to having her back."
While watching from the sidelines, Horston takes mental notes and imagines herself thriving in new Storm attack that wants to play fast.
"We're still missing some pretty big pieces, so you can't really see what it's going to look like right now," Horston said, noting Samuelson, Ezi Mabegor (right foot injury) and Awa Fam, who is in Spain, haven't practiced with the Storm. "I know I've just been watching and haven't been out there yet, but I can see myself fitting in real nice.
"We got a young group. We like each other. We vibe and we got young legs so we can get out and run."
That last part gets Horston excited.
"You really do appreciate things more when it's taken away or you can't do them," she said. "I literally could not run for (a long time). So, I don't take any of this for granted even little things like being able to run up and down the court.
"I don't think about what I lost in terms of (the 2025 season). In my mind, I gained a new perspective, learned about my body in ways I never knew and built habits that will help me for the rest of my life."
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This story was originally published May 2, 2026 at 6:49 AM.