Looking At Phoenix's Early First-Round Picks

The Phoenix Mercury's origins date back to 1997. The WNBA had eight teams during that time, and when it came to the Western Conference, the Mercury played alongside the Los Angeles Sparks, the Sacramento Monarchs and the Utah Starzz. Phoenix received two players through allocation, as Jennifer Gillom and Michele Timms joined the team. Then, players like Lisa Leslie and Cynthia Cooper were involved in that phase. Leslie went to the Sparks, and Cooper went to the Houston Comets. After that phase, the WNBA held a special draft, and the Mercury brought in two players. They drafted Bridget Pettis in the first round, and they drafted Nancy Lieberman in the second. Once that draft was over, the WNBA had its first college draft. Tina Thompson was the first pick of that draft, and players like Pamela McGee, Jamila Wideman and Sue Wicks followed her. The Mercury picked Toni Foster in the first round, and she averaged 8.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.9 steals and an assist in her rookie season. Since then, the Mercury have