Phoenix Mercury Go International In 2001

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 other countries, and they looked to establish themselves with a historic franchise.

Mercury draft international players

For starters, the Mercury brought in Kristen Veal. She was the team's first-round pick that year, and she is from Australia. She played two seasons with the Mercury, and in her first year, she showed off her playmaking skills.

Veal averaged 4.3 assists, and she contributed in other areas. For example, she averaged four points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.1 steals. She got off to a good start, and at one point, she was a starter.

Outside of Veal, the Mercury added another international player in the draft, as they selected Ilona Korstin. Korstin is Russian, and she represented the country during the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Olympics. She played a season with the Mercury, and she averaged 1.8 points.

There were some more new faces, as Adriana Moisés Pinto and Slobodanka Tuvić joined the team. Moisés Pinto averaged 5.9 points, 2.4 assists and 2.3 rebounds in her first season, and Tuvić averaged 2.1 rebounds.

The Mercury also had some returning players in Maria Stepanova, Michelle Cleary and, of course, Timms. However, that would be Timms' last season. Phoenix also had Trisha Fallon, and while she made her debut that year, she was acquired by the Mercury in a few years prior. She played for the Minnesota Lynx in 1999, and after missing the 2000 season due to the Olympics, she suited up for the Mercury.

Phoenix had its share of international talent, and as time went on, that did not change.

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