Kahleah Copper proud of first year with Mercury, believes trade from Sky was right move for her career

Kahleah Copper was one of the main stars on the Chicago Sky with the likes of Candace Parker and Courtney Vandersloot who all won the 2021 WNBA championship, the first in the franchise’s history.

Copper would be recognized as the Finals MVP in the 3-1 series victory over the Phoenix Mercury to add icing on the cake and cement her name in Sky folklore.

But the direction of where Chicago was going after that made her think again if she wanted to stay there or join a new situation. Both Parker and Vandersloot left the Sky after the 2022 season and Chicago finished 13-27 in 2023.

Requesting a trade from the Sky this past offseason to the Mercury, Copper wanted to elevate her career and show that she was still capable of being one of the best players in the WNBA.

She did just that.

Copper makes statement in debut season with Mercury

Copper was the third-highest scorer in the WNBA this season, averaging a career-high 21.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. She recorded nine 30-plus point games, with only Las Vegas Aces superstar A’ja Wilson having more (11). “Kah” received the honor of being named on the Associated Press All-WNBA Second Team before the playoffs.

When talking about why she decided Phoenix was the destination for her and if she felt it was the right decision to leave Chicago, Copper is appreciative of the opportunity to come to an organization that shares the same values as hers.

“I think it was great, I came into an organization that was really for pushing the agenda, really for women’s sports, really for equality, really for providing and putting the players first,” Copper said. “I think that I came here because I wanted more at this point of my career and I gotten everything that there it is that I wanted and I needed.”

Entering a new environment with a new coach, a reconstructed, a new front office, a new practice facility and other things that were different than a year ago, Copper believed it was going to take time for everything to gel and is anticipating next season greatly.

With NBA assistant turned WNBA head coach Nate Tibbetts being in his first year in the league, all of the players have spoken highly of him and what he has done for the organization since he was hired.

Copper was no different, appreciating what Tibbetts has brought to the Mercury from both a coaching and personal standpoint.

“Nate, I call him the principal. I think he was great, I think he has the ‘it.’ I don’t think I came into this really thinking that we were going to hit it off. He’s super relatable, has this charisma around him and easy to talk to,” Copper said about Tibbetts. “He was good and I think this year was good for him from the transition from working in the NBA to the W. He was super open-minded and continued to roll with it, figuring it out.”

While the Mercury didn’t end up achieving playoff glory with a championship this season, Copper made her Olympic debut and represented her home country when she helped Team USA win gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Though it was difficult to mentally get through a congested season like this, it was a dream that she had and winning the tournament meant a lot, no matter the sacrifice.

“It was a tough season with it being an Olympic year, it was a lot mentally, physically. With other people having time off, I know that was really helpful. But as a kid, that is something that you work for and for me, it was the ultimate goal. It’s whatever it takes,” Copper said.

Copper is signed through next season and will continue to lead the Mercury going forward, regardless of whether Diana Taurasi retires or plays another season. Taurasi has been the face of the franchise since being drafted in 2004 and is the best player that has graced the WNBA.

Paired along with fellow Philadelphia native Natasha Cloud, they will look to help Phoenix in any way they can to win a fourth championship, something the Valley would all rally around going forward.