Phoenix Mercury
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Phoenix Mercury
The Phoenix Mercury are a Women's National Basketball Association team in Phoenix, Arizona that began in 1997 as one of the league's original eight teams. The team plays at America West Arena.
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Uniform
Their uniform is white, yellow and orange at home with a logo of the planet Mercury in reddish orange, and the word Mercury in yellow; it is orange and yellow on the road.
Playoff history
Playoff Appearances: 1997, 1998, 2000
Conference Championships: 1998
WNBA Championships:
History
With a cast that included hall-of-famer Nancy Lieberman, possible future hall-of-famers Michele Timms of Australia, and Jennifer Gillom, plus the energetic and hyper-active star Bridget Pettis, the Mercury reached the playoffs at various times during the late 1990s, including a trip to the WNBA Finals in 1998.
All of the above-mentioned players left, because of retirement or trades, and the Mercury stopped being a playoff contender. In addition, player Lisa Harrison became a sex symbol, and Playboy Magazine offered her money to pose in their magazine. The Mercury had hoped to get a chance to draft college star Tamika Catchings, who is considered to be one of the best basketball players in the country, but Catchings went to the Indiana Fever instead. The team's first draft choice in 2004 was Diana Taurasi, who led UConn to three consecutive national titles.
Players of note
Retired numbers
Hall of Famers
- Nancy Lieberman
- Cheryl Miller (coach)
Not to be forgotten
Current stars
- Kayte Christensen
- Anna DeForge
- Plenette Pierson
- Diana Taurasi
- Penny Taylor
- Slobodanka Tuvic
- Kamila Vodichkova
Coaches and others
Head Coaches:
- Cheryl Miller (1997-2000)
- Cynthia Cooper (2001-2002)
- Linda Sharp (2002)
- John Shumate (2003)
- Carrie Graf (2004-Present)
External links
- Mercury website (http://www.wnba.com/mercury)