Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Natasha Cloud receives WNBA All-Defensive Second Team honors after debut season with Mercury

Originally posted on Burn City Sports | By Alec Cipollini | Last updated Sep 29, 2024 2:43 PM ET

Joining the Phoenix Mercury in the offseason via free agency and making an instant impact from the first game to the last this year, Natasha Cloud was a dominant force on the defensive end of the court and has been recognized for her efforts.

Cloud was named to the 2024 WNBA All-Defensive Second Team on Sunday, the league announced. Players who were selected for the All-Defensive teams were chosen by a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters from across the country.

For the third time in her career, Cloud has achieved such a feat by making an All-Defensive team. While she was on the Washington Mystics, she was on the First Team in 2022 and the Second Team in 2019.

The Pennsylvania native is the first guard and fourth player in Mercury franchise history to be named to an All-Defensive team, joining Brittney Griner (2014-19, 2021), Brianna Turner (2020-21) and DeWanna Bonner (2015).

Being a persistent force when guarding some of the best players in the WNBA night in and night out, the 5-foot-10 guard put together a season she should be proud of. In her first season on Phoenix after an eight-year stint (2015-19, 2021-23) with the Mystics, she averaged 11.5 points, 6.9 assists and a career-high 4.1 rebounds in 38 games.

During the season, she called receiving this award into existence after an 87-68 win over the Los Angeles Sparks.

“If y’all leave me off the defensive team, I am going to lose my mind. I am guarding one through five,” Cloud said on June 2. “I’ve always been a defensive-minded player. I think it’s a testament to my Philly roots too. I take that challenge and I love it, I love going up against whoever the best opponent is on the other team.

“When you talk about understanding who you are and what you are meant to be for this team, that’s who I am. Defense, then the point guard. If I score on nights, that’s cool too but my main focus is to be that dog on the defensive end and really challenge us to just get into people and be that kind of dog team.”

Knocking on the door of a potential All-Star Game selection, she demonstrated why the Mercury signed her. Owning a combination of her elite playmaking, defensive-first mentality, leadership skills and determination to put the team first, she instantly became a fan-favorite of the “X-Factor” every time she stepped onto the floor.

Cloud will be back in 2025 and she will help the team build on the foundation they set this season.

Here is the WNBA’s All-Defensive First and Second Teams for the 2024 season: