Jun 30, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Mercury guard Diana Taurasi (3) against the Indiana Fever at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

How Phoenix Added Game-Changing Stars

Originally posted on Phoenix Mercury On SI
By Davion Moore | Last updated Jan 16, 2026 12:00 PM ET

The Phoenix Mercury went through a rebuilding period, and it started after the 2000 season. The Mercury were a playoff team, and while they missed the playoffs in 1999, they still had a shot. They finished that season with a record of 15-17, and in 2001, they were 13-19.

During their playoff years, the Mercury added their share of players. They added players like Toni Foster, Maria Stepanova and Edna Campbell. All of those players were first-round picks, and they spent at least one season with the Mercury.

Phoenix drafted Kristen Veal in 2001, and the following year, the Mercury did not have a first-round pick. They had one in 2003, and they selected Plenette Pierson.

Pierson was the fourth pick of that year's draft, and in her first season with the Mercury, she averaged six points and 2.4 rebounds. She played 33 games, and she started in five of them. Her role increased the following year, as she played 31 games and started in 25 of them.

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The Mercury forward averaged 9.4 points and 4.2 rebounds that season, and while she started the 2005 season with Phoenix, she finished it elsewhere. The Mercury traded her to the Detroit Shock, and she would play with them for the next few years. Pierson won two championships with Detroit, and years later, she won one with the Minnesota Lynx. Overall, she had a nice career, and it all started with her years with the Mercury.

Mercury select UConn's star guard

After drafting Pierson, and finishing the 2003 season with a record of 8-26, the Mercury received the first pick of the 2004 WNBA Draft. They drafted Diana Taurasi, and she was a college star who helped UConn win three championships.

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Taurasi averaged 15.0 points, 4.5 assists, 4.4 rebounds, 1.2 steals and a block in her college years, and when she came to the WNBA, she got off to a strong start. Taurasi won Rookie of the Year, and eventually, she helped the Mercury win three championships. She also won Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 2009, and she is the league's all-time leading scorer.

Phoenix finished Taurasi's rookie season with a record of 17-17. The Mercury took a step in the right direction, and the following year, they added another first-round pick.

The Mercury drafted Sandora Irvin, and in her first season, she averaged 3.7 points and 2.8 rebounds. Irvin spent one more season with the Mercury before playing elsewhere.

After drafting Irvin, the Mercury found another star in 2006. They drafted Cappie Pondexter with the second pick of that year's draft, and she became one of the team's best scorers. She had an excellent rookie year, and in her second season, she became the first Mercury player to win Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP). Pondexter was an extremely talented guard, and in the first four seasons of her career, she helped Phoenix succeed.

Phoenix found some great talent during that period, and in the end, some of those players helped the franchise make history.

This article first appeared on Phoenix Mercury On SI and was syndicated with permission.

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