Mercury Rookie Standout Sidelined by ‘Partially Collapsed Lung’ Suffered vs Liberty

Because of the nature of the injury, Held was not permitted to fly back to Arizona. Instead, she completed a three-day train journey from New York to Phoenix alongside Mercury physical therapist Ashely Lea.

Held, 25, is in her first WNBA season after spending time overseas playing in Australia, Hungary, Italy, Poland, and Sweden. Previously, she played four years at DePaul University before going undrafted in 2022. She signed a training camp contract with Phoenix back in March and made the final roster to begin the season.

Held has been a major contributor for the Mercury off the bench this season, averaging 8.7 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 20.7 minutes. It's not easy to find reliable bench scoring, but Held has filled that role perfectly for the Mercury. She’s one key piece of a Phoenix team that prides itself on depth, with nine players on their roster averaging more than 20 minutes per game.

Phoenix will have to make do without Held for the time being. The team made two other roster moves today involving guards, waiving Megan McConnell and signing Kiana Williams. McConnell only played one game for the Mercury before suffering a tibial plateau fracture. Williams played in 13 games for the Storm last year and has appeared in 27 WNBA games since 2021, averaging less than a point per game.

The Mercury have also been linked with DeWanna Bonner, with reports suggesting that Phoenix is her preferred destination after being waived by Indiana earlier this week.

While a partially collapsed lung is a serious injury, the Mercury noted in their statement that Held is "making good progress in her recovery."

Held's journey from going undrafted to playing overseas to becoming a rookie standout has made her one of the more compelling stories in the WNBA this year.

Let's hope she isn't on the sidelines for too long.