Sep 5, 2010; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Mercury guard Temeka Johnson (2) reacts on the court against the Seattle Storm during the first half in game two of the Western Conference Finals in the 2010 WNBA Playoffs at US Airways Center. The Storm defeated the Mercury 91-88. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-Imagn Images Jennifer Stewart-Imagn Images

Mercury's Johnson Has Her Best College Season

Originally posted on Phoenix Mercury On SI
By Davion Moore | Last updated Feb 13, 2026 6:00 AM ET

Temeka Johnson started her career on a good note, and she achieved great things after that. She was drafted by the Washington Mystics in 2005, and she won Rookie of the Year. She averaged 9.3 points, 5.2 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 34 games.

Johnson heads to the West Coast

Johnson spent a year with the Mystics, and she was traded to the Los Angeles Sparks. She spent three years with them before joining the Phoenix Mercury.

Jennifer Stewart-Imagn Images

When she came to Phoenix, she made an impact. She averaged 9.6 points, 4.6 assists and 3.5 rebounds, and she played 34 games. She started in all of those games, and she did the same the following year.

The Mercury won a championship that season, as they beat the Indiana Fever. Johnson played a role in that win, as she averaged 9.5 points, 8.3 assists, 3.8 rebounds and a steal.

Johnson had a nice career, and she showed promise in her college days. Her best season was her third year, and she averaged 12.8 points, 8.3 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.8 steals.

Jennifer Stewart-Imagn Images

In her first game of that season, the future Mercury guard had nine points. She also had eight rebounds, six assists and a steal. Johnson played for Louisiana State, and she helped the team start the season with a win. Johnson and her teammates beat Villanova 63-56 in that game, but they lost the next two.

Louisiana State faced Oregon and Penn State, and those teams beat the Tigers 76-67 and 83-46. Johnson had 12 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals in the first game. Then, she had 18 points, three steals and an assist.

Johnson had a solid season, and her best game was a 22-point game against Ole Miss. She had seven assists, four rebounds and a steal on top of her points. Louisiana State beat Ole Miss 85-68 in that game, and Johnson was one of four players who scored in double figures.

Seimone Augustus was Louisiana State's leading scorer, and she had 23 points. She also had six rebounds and four assists. Scholanda Dorrell had 12 points, and Doneeka Hodges had 10.