The Phoenix Mercury are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). One of eight original franchises, it was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began.
Michele Margaret Timms is an Australian basketball coach and former player. She played five seasons for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008 and into the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2016.
Diana Lorena Taurasi is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).
Penelope Jane Taylor is an Australian former professional basketball player and assistant coach. During her 19-year career, Taylor spent the most time with the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA, where she won three championships. She also won the WNBL title with her first club, the Australian Institute of Sport, and played in China, Italy, Turkey and Russia. As part of the Australian woman's national team, Taylor won two Olympic medals and led the Australian Opals to a gold medal at the World Championships, winning tournament MVP honours ahead of teammate Lauren Jackson.
Vanessa Nygaard is a professional basketball coach and former player in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She is the former head coach for the Phoenix Mercury.
Lisa Harrison is a former American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).
Sandra Anne Brondello is an Australian women's basketball coach, and the current head coach of the New York Liberty of the WNBA, as well as the Australian Women's national team. Brondello played in Australia, Germany and the WNBA before retiring to become a coach. The 5 ft 7 in Brondello is one of Australia's all-time best shooting guards. She played on Australia's "Opals" national team at four Summer Olympics, has coached the team at two more, and won three medals as a player and one bronze medal as a coach. She attended the Australian Institute of Sport in 1986–1987, and was inducted to the Australian Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010.
Jennifer "Grandmama" Gillom is an American former Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) basketball player who played for the Phoenix Mercury from 1997 to 2002, before finishing her playing career with the Los Angeles Sparks in 2003. Gillom is also a former Sparks head coach, also coached the Minnesota Lynx, and was, until 2015, an assistant coach of the Connecticut Sun.
Kelly Anne Mazzante is an American retired professional women's basketball player who last played for the Atlanta Dream of the WNBA. After her collegiate career, she was the all-time leading scorer in Big Ten basketball history. The record stood until she was surpassed on the scoring list by Rachel Banham in 2016. The record was subsequently surpassed by Kelsey Mitchell in 2018 and Caitlin Clark in 2024.
Corey Yasuto Gaines is an American professional basketball coach and former player. He played five seasons in the NBA, and was a four-time Israeli Premier League Assists Leader, in 1999 and in 2001 to 2003. He was also a former head coach of the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).
Isabelle Fijalkowski, now Isabelle Fijalkowski-Tournebize, is a retired French basketball player. She was inducted into the French Basketball Hall of Fame, in 2011.
Bridget Pettis was an Assistant Coach of the Chicago Sky Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) professional basketball team. She is an American former college and professional basketball player who was a guard in the WNBA for eight seasons during the 1990s and 2000s. Pettis played college basketball for the University of Florida, and professionally for the Phoenix Mercury and the Indiana Fever of the WNBA.
Brittney Yvette Griner is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She is a three-time Olympic gold medalist with the U.S. women's national basketball team and a six-time WNBA All-Star. Griner was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine in 2023.
The 1997 WNBA season was the first for the Phoenix Mercury.
The 1998 WNBA season was the second season for the Phoenix Mercury. The Mercury reached their first WNBA Finals, but championship hopes were denied when they lost to the Houston Comets in three games.
The 2000 WNBA season was the fourth season for the Phoenix Mercury. They made the playoffs for the first time in two years but were swept in the first round to the Los Angeles Sparks. It was the last time Phoenix were in the playoffs until the 2007 season.
The 1999 WNBA season was the third season for the Phoenix Mercury. The Mercury failed to qualify for the postseason after advancing to the WNBA Finals during the previous year.
Toni Foster is a former professional basketball player in the WNBA. She was the eighth pick in the 1997 WNBA draft, being selected by the Phoenix Mercury.
Monique Ambers is an American retired basketball player and coach. Ambers played for the Phoenix Mercury in the 1997 season and the Sacramento Monarchs in the 2002 season.
Sophie Elizabeth Cunningham is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), as well as an analyst for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA), and model.
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