This post was updated July 21 at 10:02 p.m.

On Tuesday, Noelle Quinn stepped onto a court she once called home.

Quinn, who played three of her 13 WNBA seasons with the Los Angeles Sparks, said being back in the city as her current Seattle squad battles against the Sparks evoked a sense of nostalgia. Crypto.com Arena, formerly known as the Staples Center when Quinn was with the Sparks, was her home court from 2009 to 2011. Although born and raised in LA, she has since spent her coaching career with two teams away from home – the Seattle Storm and the Canadian women’s national team, whose Olympic squad she will lead this summer.

But before she was a professional, Quinn lit up Pauley Pavilion as a guard for UCLA women’s basketball.

“UCLA was a dream school. My family was able to come and watch me play and represent the city of LA,” Quinn said. “Going to an institution like UCLA, there’s so much history, and you’re amongst winners.”

Having retired from the WNBA as a player in 2018, Quinn integrated her UCLA-formed philosophy into her coaching style. Labeling herself as a self-proclaimed “servant leader” who puts her players’ needs first and foremost, Quinn took from her past coaches in developing what she hopes is the best version of herself.

“I learned a lot of lessons being a Bruin, and one of those is: It’s not about the name on the back of the jerseys. It’s about representing the four letters across your chest,” Quinn said. “When I coach, I’m always trying to represent that which is greater than me, being a leader and having a platform standing for what’s right.”

At UCLA, Quinn became the first Bruin in either men’s or women’s basketball to surpass 1,700 points, 700 rebounds and 400 assists. She led the Bruins to their first Pac-10 tournament title in 2006, dropping 22 points in the championship game – including a game-tying basket to force an overtime that UCLA would dominate.

“Being a Bruin body is more than just winning championships,” Quinn said. “It’s how you approach your day-to-day and how you approach being a great teammate, how you approach working with your colleagues – and so I take that in stride as it relates to my coaching.”

A year after the team’s Pac-10 title, Quinn was selected by the Minnesota Lynx as the No. 4 overall pick in the 2007 WNBA draft. After five years with the Lynx and the Sparks, she ended her career with the 2018 WNBA championship as a guard for Seattle.

She joined the Storm’s coaching staff the following year before ultimately being named head coach in 2021.

“I think she’s one of the candidates for Coach of the Year,” said Storm guard Skylar Diggins-Smith. “She’s been amazing with her approach for this team. A lot of moving pieces, a lot of moving parts, and she’s been able to make it come together.”

Quinn’s and the rest of the coaching staff’s philosophy attracted forward Nneka Ogwumike – the No. 1 pick in the 2012 WNBA Draft – to transfer to the Storm from the Sparks in the beginning of 2024.

“A really big reason was the coaching staff,” Ogwumike said. “I’m very in tune with the coaching staff, and I love their philosophies. … Seattle was the best choice based on their philosophy, based on their integrity and based on how they set the tone as a team.”

Quinn is revered by her players – who affectionately call her “Noey” – as a basketball savant. But in a couple weeks, Quinn will temporarily leave the Storm as she travels to Paris for the Olympic Games.

After she signed to join Canada’s coaching staff in 2022, the 2024 Paris Olympics will be Quinn’s first tournament as a coach on the international stage.

“My presence – it matters for Canada basketball,” said Quinn. “I’m going to be a superstar in that role and give my all to where I can, especially in the moments where I know I can add value.”

The Canadian national team hosts familiar faces, including fellow Bruin alumnus Nirra Fields.

“When I was still playing (in the WNBA), I was going to UCLA to train, and so I would practice against her (Fields’) team,” Quinn said. “We were always talking about basketball, but what’s interesting is, me and her talk about life stuff more so than X’s and O’s.”

The alumni – separated by just five seasons in Westwood – have been able to reconnect through the Canadian national team.

“Nirra has played her heart out for Canada and she’s one of the best players on the team. To continue to watch her growth and her journey has been amazing,” Quinn said. “I’m not Canadian, but I’m part of an amazing federation who has an opportunity to do something great on a big stage.”

After donning the four letters in Westwood, Quinn has grown to proudly embrace different insignias.