WNBA guard Jade Melbourne chips tooth after face hits court

WNBA goalie Jade Melbourne had a painful experience during her Friday night game between the Seattle Storm and Golden State Valkyries.

Valkyries guard Veronica Burton attempted to dribble off the screen and around Melbourne. The Storm defender then dove to recover the loose ball. Burton lands on top of her. Melbourne’s face hit the field and she broke a tooth in the process.

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Melbourne Storm teammates checked on her to make sure she was okay. She walked to the bench smiling but held out part of her tooth to her coaches.

Melbourne was warned for a foul on the play. Golden State then led 43-39 and held on for the 91-80 victory.

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Seattle Storm guard Jade Melbourne holds out half of her tooth that was knocked out in a collision with Golden State Valkyries guard Veronica Burton in Seattle on May 8, 2026. (Lindsey Wasson/AP)

Burton finished with 16 points on 5-of-13 shooting. Janelle Salaun added a team-high 20 points coming off the bench. Kaitlyn Chen also scored 14 points coming off the bench.

Seattle’s scoring was led by Dominique Malonga, who had 21. Zia Cooke added 15 points.

Melbourne finished with 13 points. She is in her fourth full season in the WNBA. Seattle initially drafted her in the third round of the 2022 draft out of Australia. She did not play in 2022 and made her first appearance for the Storm in 2023.

Seattle Storm goalie Jade Melbourne returns a piece of her tooth to a staff member after it was chipped in a collision against the Golden State Valkyries in Seattle on May 8, 2026. (Lindsey Wasson/AP)

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She played the last two seasons for the Washington Mystics before joining the Storm again before 2026. Last season, she averaged 5.9 points per game in 43 appearances.