Phoenix Mercury Go International In 2001

Since the beginning, international players have been involved with the Phoenix Mercury . Michele Timms comes to mind, and before joining the Mercury, she was a star in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL). The Australian star had a great first season, and she became one of the few Mercury players to have their jersey retired. Timms also had some international teammates in her first year, as Marlies Askamp and Mikiko Hagiwara were with the Mercury. Phoenix's roster evolved, but the presence of international players remained a thing. The Mercury had highs and lows in their early seasons, as they reached the WNBA Finals in 1998 but missed the playoffs the following year. Then, they returned to the playoffs, where they encountered an early exit. In 2001, things were changing, and the Mercury had a bad year. They finished the season with a record of 13-19, and that was the start of a playoff drought. It was a difficult period, but the Mercury brought in some new talent. Some of those players were from ot