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Lauren Jackson says she has no plans to play basketball until she returns to the Seattle Storm next May for the 2014 WNBA season, and that she's experiencing no pain for the first time in three years.

The Seattle Storm will be without three-time league MVP Lauren Jackson for the 2013 season while she stays in Australia to recover from recent hamstring surgery.

No one wants to see one of the league's top players miss an entire season. But sitting out 2013 -- even if it leaves Seattle scrambling right now for what appears to be a very competitive Western Conference race -- just might be exactly what Lauren Jackson needs.

WNBA president Laurel Richie gives some insight into where the league is as it finishes its 16th season -- the good and the bad.

Seattle was staring the end of this season right in the face, but instead forced Minnesota to a third game in a wild, memorable 86-79 double-overtime victory.

Minnesota opened defense of its WNBA title with a win over Seattle on Friday. It wasn't the vintage performance the Lynx are used to, but Maya Moore made sure it was enough.

Katie Smith scored 16 points, Lauren Jackson became the fourth WNBA player to reach 6,000 career points, and the Seattle Storm beat the San Antonio Silver Stars 84-75 on Friday night.

Camille Little had a season-high 28 points and nine rebounds to lead the Seattle Storm to an 89-66 victory over the last-place Tulsa Shock on Saturday night.

With only nine games left in the regular season, Seattle looks bound for the playoffs. But Lauren Jackson and the Storm hope to raise their level of play before the postseason arrives.

DeWanna Bonner scored 24 points, Samantha Prahalis added 16 and Diana Taurasi had 13 to help the Phoenix Mercury beat the Seattle Storm 75-68 on Thursday night to end a 10-game losing streak.

Sue Bird had 18 points and 10 assists, Lauren Jackson scored 16 points and the Seattle Storm snapped a three-game losing streak with an 84-66 victory over the New York Liberty on Sunday night.

Shavonte Zellous' buzzer-beating 3-pointer capped Indiana's closing 15-0 run and lifted the Fever to a 68-66 victory over the Seattle Storm on Thursday night.

Kristi Toliver scored 22 points and Alana Beard added 18 to help the Los Angeles Sparks beat the short-handed Seattle Storm 82-71 Saturday night for their sixth consecutive win.

Camille Little scored 17 points to help the Seattle Storm beat the Phoenix Mercury 72-58 on Thursday night.

WNBA commissioner Laurel Richie hopes the U.S. women's basketball team winning gold means more eyes will be on her league in the second half of the season and into the playoffs.

The WNBA just had a month-long break, but the playoff push will be intense from the get-go when games resume Thursday.