Mercury's Williams And More Represent Stanford

Phoenix found a talented guard in Williams, and her WNBA journey began back in 2021. She was drafted by the Seattle Storm that year, and right before that, she accomplished something special. Williams won an NCAA championship as Stanford defeated Arizona.

The Mercury guard had five points, three assists and two rebounds in that game, and Haley Jones was the team's leading scorer with 17 points. Jones also had eight rebounds and an assist.

When Williams was drafted, she joined a long list of WNBA players who attended Stanford. There have been 37 players, and the school's ties to the league date back to 1997.

Jamila Wideman was the third pick in the 1997 WNBA Draft, and she was selected by the Los Angeles Sparks. She played 28 games in her rookie season, and she averaged 3.7 assists. She also averaged three points and two rebounds.

Future Mercury player enters the league

The next Stanford player to make the WNBA had Mercury ties. Olympia Scott was drafted in the second round of the 1998 WNBA Draft, and she was drafted by the Utah Starzz. She played with them for a few years, then she played for the Detroit Shock, the Indiana Fever, the Charlotte Sting and the Mercury.

Scott won a championship with the Shock, and a few years later, she won with the Mercury. Phoenix was her last stop, but in their championship-winning season, she played eight games.

Vanessa Nygaard, who also attended Stanford, was drafted in 1998, and she played in the WNBA from 1999 to 2003. Years later, she became the Mercury's head coach.

Throughout the years, other Stanford players joined the WNBA, as Nneka Ogwumike, and her sister Chiney came into the league. Then, players like Karlie Samuelson, Alanna Smith, DiJonai Carrington and Cameron Brink followed them. Kiki Iriafen, who played for Stanford before heading to USC, is the most recent player to make the league.

Williams has done well in her time with the Mercury, and when she steps on the court, she is representing Stanford.