Monique Billings loves Atlanta, embracing new opportunity with Mercury

It’s only been five days since Monique Billings signed a seven-day contract with the Phoenix Mercury, but she has made an instant impact the second she joined the team.

In her debut for the Mercury, the 6-foot-3 forward tallied 13 points and eight rebounds against the Chicago Sky this past Sunday and followed it up with nine points and three rebounds vs. the Atlanta Dream on Wednesday.

While Phoenix did fall to the Dream 72-63, Billings was one of the few bright spots during the game in which the team as a whole struggled to get into an offensive rhythm. Opening up the first quarter shooting just 2-for-16 (12.5%) from the field, the Mercury ended up clawing back at the end when the Dream was up by double-digits.

Even though it wasn’t the result she or Phoenix would have wanted, the Mercury still sit as the sixth seed in the WNBA and are comfortably in a playoff spot with a 15-14 record.

Having the opportunity to play with the likes of WNBA legends Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi as they look to round out the regular season before the playoffs, Billings is appreciative of what she has signed up for and wants to make the most of it.

“It’s so dope to play with legends,” Billings said. “Other than like Angel McCoughtry, I have never played with like a legendary vet – and that was my rookie year. So it’s really cool, I am a vet myself now but being able to play with vet vets, it’s an honor, it’s a privilege. I am a sponge, so I always want to learn from them and they are super good vibes, good energy. It’s been a blessing thus far.”