Sep 19, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Mercury Dancers perform during the first half of game three of round one for the 2025 WNBA Playoffs at PHX Arena against the New York Liberty. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Mercury Lose Timms, Add More Talent

Originally posted on Phoenix Mercury On SI
By Davion Moore | Last updated Mar 20, 2026 8:00 AM ET

The 2002 season was a hard year for the Phoenix Mercury. They finished the season with a record of 11-21, and they missed the playoffs for the second year in a row.

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Mercury lose a key player

That year was an adjustment for the Mercury, as that was the first year they played without Michele Timms. Timms was one of the Mercury's earliest players, and she played with the team from 1997 to 2001. In her final season, she averaged 4.7 points, 4.1 assists, 2.1 rebounds and a steal.

Phoenix would play without one of its first All-Stars, but the Mercury still had their share of international players. Susanna Bonfiglio joined the team, and she spent a year with them. She played 22 games, and she started in six of them.

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Bonfiglio is from Italy, and years before she joined the Mercury, she represented her country in the 1996 Olympics. She was a talented guard, and in her games with the Mercury, she averaged 4.8 points, 1.7 rebounds and an assist. She had a 12-point game against the Cleveland Rockers, and the Mercury won by two points.

The Mercury had Gordana Grubin that year, and she is Serbian. She started her WNBA career with the Los Angeles Sparks, and after spending some time with the Indiana Fever, she came to Phoenix.

In her season with the Mercury, Grubin averaged 9.9 points, 3.3 assists, two rebounds and 1.1 steals. She played well, and she tied her career high that year. She had 23 points against the Sparks, and the Mercury lost that game.

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Adriana Moisés Pinto returned, and she averaged six points, 2.5 assists and 1.9 rebounds that year. After that season, she did not appear in the WNBA until years later. She came back to the Mercury, and she played four games.

Slobodanka Tuvic was another returning player, and she played 26 games. She was a starter in one of those games, and overall, she had a decent season. Her stats improved, as she averaged 3.3 points and 2.4 rebounds. In 2001, she averaged 1.8 points and 2.1 rebounds.

Kristen Veal was back, and she averaged 3.1 points and 1.8 assists. Oksana Zakaluzhnaya joined the Mercury that year, and she played five games. The Russian center averaged 1.2 points during that time.

The Mercury continued to add international talent, and all of those players had different journeys.

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

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