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WNBA Team Cuts Ties With T.J. McConnell’s Sister Megan McConnell Amid Injury

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Dave Holcomb | Last updated Jun 26, 2025 2:36 PM ET

It's been a difficult week for the McConnell family.

USA Today's Meghan L. Hall reported Thursday that the Phoenix Mercury announced guard Megan McConnell suffered a tibial plateau fracture in her right knee.

The Mercury released a statement saying that the team will continue to assist in her rehabilitation, but Phoenix has released McConnell.

The team also signed guard Kiana Williams to replace McConnell on the roster.

McConnell went undrafted in the 2025 WNBA Draft. The guard signed a contract with the Mercury on April 17. The team waived her about a month later, but then signed her to a second contract on June 3.

McConnell made her WNBA debut against the Minnesota Lynx on the same day. The guard scored three points with three assists, one rebound and one steal while playing about 13 minutes.

She hasn't played since then because of her injury.

McConnell's release comes four days after her older brother, T.J., and his team, the Indiana Pacers, lost in Game 7 of the NBA Finals to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Coming off the bench, T.J. McConnell had 16 points, six rebounds and three assists in that game. But he also led the team with seven turnovers in the 103-91 loss.

Thank you, Megan! pic.twitter.com/qT916WUNGX
— Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) June 26, 2025

Meanwhile, Williams is in the fifth year of her WNBA career. The Seattle Storm drafted Williams at No. 18 overall in the second round of the 2021 WNBA Draft.

In 27 career games, she has averaged under one point while playing 4.1 minutes per game. Williams has not appeared in a WNBA game this season.

Welcome to Phoenix, Kiana! pic.twitter.com/9fnXtEBi3f
— Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) June 26, 2025

McConnell's recovery timeline depends on the severity of her injury. Tibial plateau fractures can take about 3-4 months to recover from if no surgery is required, but the typical return timeline for that injury is 6-12 months.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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