Mercury’s Natasha Mack reveals ‘Black Excellence’ specialty shoes honoring Lisa Leslie, other WNBA icons

Leslie was drafted by the Los Angeles Sparks in the Initial Allocation phase in 1997, the first year play began in the WNBA. During her 12-year career all with the Sparks, the California native was a two-time WNBA champion, three-time MVP, eight-time All-Star and All-WNBA first-team honoree and is a two-time Defensive Player of the Year among other accolades.

Former Mercury coach Cooper was a part of the now-defunct Houston Comets who were the first WNBA champions from 1997-2000. While her team achieved ultimate glory, Cooper was the Finals MVP in each championship. She would go on to coach in college after her dominant, five-year playing career in the WNBA.

Like Leslie, Thomspon played college at USC before turning into a Hall of Famer. Thomspon and Cooper were on the Comets together and Cooper too won four WNBA titles in the first four years of the league’s inception. The nine-time All-Star would also play for the Sparks and Seattle Storm until she retired in 2013. Cooper was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018.

As for Miller, she too would play for USC and is regarded as one of the best women’s basketball players of all time. Due to multiple knee injuries that kept her from continuing her playing career, however, she would not play in the WNBA but became a well-respected coach for USC. Once the Mercury was announced to be an organization in the WNBA, Miller was the first coach and general manager in franchise history from 1997 until she resigned in 2000. She was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1995.

Mack will wear the one-of-a-kind shoes when the Mercury takes on the Liberty tonight at 7 p.m. PT inside Footprint Center.