It was a busy season on and off the court for WNBA star Jewell Loyd. The Seattle Storm guard finished the season with a handful of milestones and accolades, including the single-season record for total points.
Loyd, who tallied 939 points in the 2023 campaign, scored 30 points or more in 12 games. That tied the single-season record for games with at least 30 points, Yahoo Sports reported.
Off the court, Loyd has been focused on several projects. That includes the 30-year-old’s partnership with Gopuff, a food delivery company that operates in various cities across the U.S. Loyd said she partnered with Gopuff after realizing the lack of access to food at her team’s practice facility.
“When my teammates and I started talking about a lack of access to food at women’s practice facilities, I knew where to turn to fill that gap,” Loyd said at the time of announcing her Gopuff partnership in August through a press release. “I’m proud to partner with Gopuff to provide my team with food, drinks and snacks after practice and on the road.”
Gopuff now delivers snacks, meals and drinks to Lloyd and her teammates every week, ensuring that they’re fueled after practice or during road games.
“The concept came to me when we flew from Seattle to New York — and because the time change out there is so late — things weren’t open, stores weren’t open. It was bad,” Loyd told Blavity in an exclusive interview. “So I was like ‘you know what? I need Gopuff. I use it already. It makes sense to partner with someone who does this all the time.’ So I reached out and ever since they’ve been great.”
Lloyd credits her Gopuff partnership for making life easier from an athlete’s perspective, particularly when it comes to accessing the nutrients they need to perform at a high level.
“We do have things in the locker room, but because we are gone all the time, things get spoiled or rookies come in and they don’t know what they need to fuel their bodies,” she said. “As athletes, we’re always hungry, we’re always on the go and having to not think about what to snack on, how to get snacks or how to get hydrated, that just takes it out of the equation. So it’s just the little things that’s really big for us.”
The 2023 All-Star MVP is glad to see that her teammates are already enjoying Gopuff’s free snacks, which include protein bars, sparkling water, fresh fruit and trail mix.
“It’s free snacks, so they’re always down for that,” she told Blavity. “Just knowing that they have opportunities to get what they need when they want it, regardless of where we are on the road, we put the order in, it’s gonna show up really quick. My teammates are super excited.”
Loyd, a multi-sport athlete who also plays in pickleball tournaments during the WNBA off-season, said it’s vital to have snacks that can help her compete indoors or outdoors.
Outside sports, there’s plenty more on Loyd’s schedule. The former Notre Dame standout, who has dyslexia, works with organizations like The Dyslexic Advantage and Eye to Eye to provide resources for people with learning challenges. Loyd, who was nicknamed the Gold Mamba by Kobe Bryant, also runs Gold Mamba Elite camps to increase opportunities for girls in sports.
“For us women, we need opportunity, we need awareness,” Loyd said. “It’s not just about me. It’s about how to give back to the next generation, how to evolve it, maximize the opportunities we have together. Right now we’ve all seen from the numbers in women’s sports, that it’s the next wave. This is where investments and investors want to be.”
