Phoenix Mercury

The Mercury are the sister team of the Phoenix Suns in the NBA . The team name comes from the planet Mercury, as Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun.

In 2007 and 2009 , the Mercury, led by Cappie Pondexter and Diana Taurasi, won the WNBA championship. The third title followed in 2014 .

history

Good start (1997 to 2000)

The Phoenix Mercury are one of the eight founding members of the WNBA. In the first season the Mercury achieved the best record of the regular seasons in the Western Conference, but failed in the first playoff round to the New York Liberty . In 1998 the team was able to increase the number of wins, but this time placed behind the Houston Comets in the West Conference . But after a success in the playoff series against the Cleveland Rockers you reached the WNBA finals for the first time. As in the regular season, you had to be satisfied with second place behind the dominating Comets. After the playoffs were narrowly missed in the following season, the Mercury 2000 were able to reach the playoffs again, but failed significantly in the first playoff round at the Los Angeles Sparks .

Unsuccessful years (2001 to 2006)

In the following six seasons, the Mercury no longer played successfully and thus missed the playoffs six times in a row. But four times the postseason was only missed by one place. During this time, however, early draft picks created the basis for later successes.

Return of successes (since 2007)

After the team had not reached the playoffs for a long time, the Mercury played a strong regular season in 1997 , were able to secure the playoff entry early and finally even achieve the best record of the Western Conference. After significant successes in the playoffs over the Seattle Storm and the San Antonio Silver Stars , they were in the WNBA finals for the second time in the club's history. This time it was won in five games against the Detroit Shock and thus the WNBA title was brought to Phoenix. There was a big crash the next season. The title could not be defended, even the playoffs were not reached and finally the season ended in last place in the table in the Western Conference. In the 2009 season, the ups and downs continued. The team was able to improve again and reached the playoffs again. After successes over the San Antonio Silver Stars and the Los Angeles Sparks you could move back into the finals and again you could win the final series in the fifth and decisive game. This time the Indiana Fever were the losing team. After four seasons in which championship and early failure alternate, a playoff series was lost for the first time in ten years in the 2010 season and the season ended for the Mercury after the Conference Finals. This round should also be the end of the line in the years to come. In the six seasons from 2010 to 2015, the team failed four times in this round. The later WNBA champion was the opposing team. In 2012 the Mercury played the worst seasons in the club's history with only seven wins and no playoff participation. In 2014 the team won the third championship. The opponents in the playoffs were the Los Angeles Sparks, the Minnesota Lynx and in the final the Chicago Sky . This was the team's first championship that could be won after the playoffs could be reached in the preseason. In 2016 , the team from Phoenix narrowly reached the playoffs with the fourth-best record in the Western Conference. Although the Mercury had to play away games as the eighth best team in the WNBA in the first two rounds of the new playoff system , the teams from Indiana and New York were defeated and they reached the WNBA semi-finals, in which the Minnesota Lynx had to be clearly defeated . So you failed in the playoffs for the first time since the 2000 season not on the eventual champions. In 2017 the Mercury reached the playoffs again and successfully survived the first two rounds. This time the season ended with a significant defeat in the WNBA semifinals against the Los Angeles Sparks. In the 2018 season , the Mercury were able to further increase the number of wins in the regular season. In the third season with the new playoff format, the playoffs for the Mercury were identical. After success in the first two rounds, the season ended with defeat in the WNBA semifinals, this time against the Seattle Storm team. The Mercury were thus for the sixth time in a row, at least in the playoff semi-finals. This series ended in 2019 . The Mercury reached the playoffs again despite a negative balance, but failed in the first round against the Chicago Sky team.

Venue

America West Arena (2005)

season	Audience cut	WNBA audience average
1997	13,703	9,669
1999	13,765	10,869
1999	12,219	10.207
2000	10.130	9,074
2001	8,561	9,075
2002	8,737	9,228
2003	8,501	8,800
2004	7,638	8,613
2005	7,302	8,172
2006	7,495	7,476
2007	7,711	7,742
2008	8,522	7,948

season	Audience cut	WNBA audience average
2009	8,523	8,039
2010	8,982	7,834
2011	9,167	7,954
2012	7,814	7,452
2013	8,557	7,531
2014	9,557	7,578
2015	9,946	7,318
2016	10,351	7,655
2017	9,913	7,716
2018	9,950	6,769
2019	10.193	6,535

The Phoenix Mercury have played their home games at the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix since their inception . During this time the arena was also named America West Arena (1992 to 2005) and US Airways Center (2005 to 2015). The arena is also currently home to the NBA team of the Phoenix Suns and the Arizona Rattlers from the ( AFL ). In addition, the Arizona Sandsharks (CISL), the Phoenix Coyotes (NHL) and the Phoenix RoadRunners ( ECHL ) played there for a while. For the 2020 season, the Mercury are moving to the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum as the Talking Stick Resort Arena is to be renovated.

Audience numbers

At the beginning of the team and the WNBA, the audience figures for the Mercury were sometimes well above the WNBA average. With the lack of sporting success, the number of spectators in Phoenix also fell and in some cases were even below the league average. It was only with the sporting successes since the WNBA championship in 2007 that the number of spectators increased again and the audience is now well above the WNBA average. From 2014 to 2016 even the best average was achieved in the WNBA and after that one was still one of the top 3 teams in the league. In some cases, an average of five-digit audience numbers were even achieved.

Achievements and honors

Sporting successes

The Mercury won the WNBA championship in the 2007 , 2009 and 2014 seasons , making the Mercury one of the WNBA's most successful franchises after the Minnesota Lynx and the now defunct Houston Comets . In 1997, as well as in the three championship seasons, the team was also the best of the regular seasons in the Western Conference.

Individual awards

Similar to the team successes, the Mercury were also regularly successful in individual awards. Diana Taurasi was particularly successful, receiving more than half of these awards for the team.

Finals MVP Award : The Mercury won the championship in 2007, 2009 and 2014, and as usual, the award for the best player in the WNBA Finals went to the winning team. Diana Taurasi received this award twice.

Most Valuable Player Award : So far, with Diana Taurasi, only one Mercury player could win this important award.

2009 - Diana Taurasi

Peak Performer : The honors for the best statistical values have so far gone seven times to female Mercury players. Most of the awards were won by Diana Taurasi. She appeared five times as the league's top scorer. It was not until 2017 that another Mercury player, Brittney Griner, was successful.

2006 - Diana Taurasi (points)
2008 - Diana Taurasi (points)
2009 - Diana Taurasi (points)
2010 - Diana Taurasi (points)
2011 - Diana Taurasi (points)
2014 - Diana Taurasi (Assists)
2017 - Brittney Griner (points)
2019 - Brittney Griner (points)

Coach of the Year Award : The award for the best coach of the regular season went to Phoenix for the first time in the year of the third WNBA championship.

2014 - Sandy Brondello

Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award : Jennifer Gillom, one of the team's players, has received the Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award for her good sporting behavior.

2002 - Jennifer Gillom

Rookie of the Year Award : So far, only Diana Taurasi has received the award of the best newcomer in the WNBA.

2004 - Diana Taurasi

Defensive Player of the Year Award : The award has only received one Mercury player so far, Brittney Griner was able to win the award for best defensive player two seasons in a row.

2014 - Brittney Griner
2015 - Brittney Griner

Sixth Woman of the Year Award : So far, only one player on the team has received the award, DeWanna Bonner was able to win the award as the best complementary player for three seasons in a row.

2009 - DeWanna Bonner
2010 - DeWanna Bonner
2011 - DeWanna Bonner

Most Improved Player Award : In 2019, Leilani Mitchell was the first Sparks player to receive this award as the most improved player of the season.

2019 - Leilani Mitchell

Season overview

Abbreviations: Sp. = Games, S = victories, N = defeats

season	Sp.	S.	N	Wins in%	space	Playoffs
1997	28	16	12	57.1	1st, Western Conference	Loss in the WNBA semifinals, 0-1 New York Liberty
1998	30th	19th	11	63.3	2nd, Western Conference	Victory in the WNBA semifinals, 2-1 ( Cleveland Rockers ), loss in the WNBA finals, 1: 2 ( Houston Comets )
1999	32	15th	17th	46.9	4th, Western Conference	not qualified
2000	32	20th	12	62.5	4th, Western Conference	Conference Semifinal lost, 2-0 ( Los Angeles Sparks )
2001	32	13	19th	40.6	5th, Western Conference	not qualified
2002	32	11	21st	34.4	7th, Western Conference	not qualified
2003	34	8th	26th	23.5	7th, Western Conference	not qualified
2004	34	17th	17th	50.0	5th, Western Conference	not qualified
2005	34	16	18th	47.1	5th, Western Conference	not qualified
2006	34	18th	16	52.9	5th, Western Conference	not qualified
2007	34	23	11	67.6	1st, Western Conference	Conference Semifinal win, 2-0 ( Seattle Storm ) Conference Finals win, 2-0 ( San Antonio Silver Stars ) WNBA champions , 3-2 ( Detroit Shock )
2008	34	16	18th	47.1	7th, Western Conference	not qualified
2009	34	23	11	67.6	1st, Western Conference	Victory in the Conference Semifinals, 2-1 ( San Antonio Silver Stars ) Victory in the Conference Finals, 2-0 ( Los Angeles Sparks ) WNBA champions , 3-2 ( Indiana Fever )
2010	34	15th	19th	44.1	2nd, Western Conference	Victory in the Conference Semifinals, 2-0 ( San Antonio Silver Stars ) defeat in the Conference Finals, 0-2 ( Seattle Storm )
2011	34	19th	15th	55.9	3rd, Western Conference	Victory in the Conference Semifinals, 2-1 ( Seattle Storm ) defeat in the Conference Finals, 0-2 ( Minnesota Lynx )
2012	34	7th	27	20.6	6th, Western Conference	not qualified
2013	34	19th	15th	55.9	3rd, Western Conference	Victory in the Conference Semifinals, 2-1 ( Los Angeles Sparks ), loss in the Conference Finals, 0-3 ( Minnesota Lynx )
2014	34	29	5	85.3	1st, Western Conference	Victory in the Conference Semifinals, 2-0 ( Los Angeles Sparks ) Victory in the Conference Finals, 2-1 ( Minnesota Lynx ) WNBA champions , 3-0 ( Chicago Sky )
2015	34	20th	14th	58.8	2nd, Western Conference	Victory in the Conference Semifinals, 2-0 ( Tulsa Shock ), loss in the Conference Finals, 0-2 ( Minnesota Lynx )
2016	34	16	18th	47.1	4th, Western Conference	1st round win, 1-0 ( Indiana Fever ) win 2nd round, 1-0 ( New York Liberty ) loss in the WNBA semifinals, 0-3 ( Minnesota Lynx )
2017	34	18th	16	52.9	3rd, Western Conference	1st round win, 1-0 ( Seattle Storm ) win 2nd round, 1-0 ( Connecticut Sun ) loss in the WNBA semifinals, 0-3 ( Los Angeles Sparks )
2018	34	20th	14th	58.8	2nd, Western Conference	1st round win, 1-0 ( Dallas Wings ) win 2nd round, 1-0 ( Connecticut Sun ) loss in the WNBA semifinals, 2-3 ( Seattle Storm )
2019	34	15th	19th	44.1	5th, Western Conference	1st round loss, 0-1 ( Chicago Sky )
total	764	393	371	51.4		14 playoff appearances in 23 seasons 31 series: 20 wins, 11 losses 73 games: 40 wins, 33 losses (54.8%)

Trainer

Cheryl Miller (1997-2000)
Cynthia Cooper (2001-2002)
Linda Sharp (2002)
John Shumate (2003)
Carrie Graf (2004-2005)
Paul Westhead (2006-2007)
Corey Gaines (2008-2013)
Russ Pennell (2013)
Sandy Brondello (since 2014)

Players

Squad of the 2020 season

As of June 4, 2020

No.	country	Surname	position	Date of birth	Experience in WNBA	college
1	United States	Kia Vaughn	center	01/24/1987	10 seasons	Rutgers University
2	United States	Shatori Walker-Kimbrough	Guard	May 18, 1995	3 seasons	University of Maryland
3	United States	Diana Taurasi	Guard	06/11/1982	15 seasons	University of Connecticut
4th	United States	Skylar Diggins-Smith	Guard	08/02/1990	6 seasons	University of Notre Dame
9	United States	Sophie Cunningham	Guard	8/16/1996	1 season	University of Missouri
10	United States	Nia Coffey	Forward	06/11/1995	3 seasons	Northwestern University
11	Australia	Alanna Smith	Forward	09/10/1996	1 season	Stanford University
14th	United States	Bria Hartley	Guard	09/30/1992	6 seasons	University of Connecticut
21st	United States	Brianna Turner	Forward	07/05/1996	1 season	University of Notre Dame
42	United States	Brittney Griner	center	October 18, 1990	7 seasons	Baylor University
51	United States	Jessica Breland	Forward	02/23/1988	8 seasons	University of North Carolina

First-round voting rights in the WNBA Draft

Surname	year	Draft position
Toni Foster	1997	8th.
Maria Stepanova	1998	8th.
Edna Campbell	1999	10.
Kristen Veal	2001	13.
Plenette Pierson	2003	4th
Diana Taurasi	2004	1.
Chandi Jones	2004	8th.
Sandora Irvin	2005	3.

Surname	year	Draft position
Cappie Pondexter	2006	2.
Lindsey Harding	2007	1.
LaToya Pringle	2008	13.
DeWanna Bonner	2009	5.
Samantha Prahalis	2012	6th
Brittney Griner	2013	1.
Isabelle Harrison	2015	12.
Courtney Williams	2016	2.

Since 1997, the club had only 16 draft rights in the first round of the WNBA draft in 21 seasons . A total of six times the Mercury did not have a draft pick in the first round due to trades. Only in the WNBA Draft 2001 could two players be selected in the first round of the draft.

The team from Arizona has been able to select the first female player in the draft three times. With Diana Taurasi ( 2004 ), a top draft pick could fulfill the expectations placed upon and were asked about their first seasons in the WNBA for the year's best newcomer chosen. Lindsey Harding ( 2007 ) was transferred to the Minnesota Lynx before the start of the season . Brittney Griner ( 2013 ) did not receive this honor, but has been an important part of the team since then.

In the 2017 season , Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner , two players selected by the team in the first round of the draft, were still in the club's squad.

Former players

Withdrawn jersey numbers

The jersey numbers of the following players are no longer assigned by the Mercury:

#	Surname	position	Period
Blocked jersey numbers
Players
7th	Australia Michele Timms	Guard	1997-2001

Web links

Official website (English)
Official website of the WNBA (English)

Individual evidence

^ Phoenix Mercury Draft History. WNBA, accessed November 17, 2017 .
^ All-Time WNBA Draft Picks. WNBA, accessed November 30, 2016 .

[Draft-1] Phoenix Mercury Draft History. WNBA, accessed November 17, 2017 .

[2] All-Time WNBA Draft Picks. WNBA, accessed November 30, 2016 .