Phoenix Mercury introduces Alyssa Thomas as a newest member

Earlier in the offseason, the Mercury acquired her through a blockbuster trade that sent Bec Allen (later traded to the Chicago Sky), guard Natasha Cloud, and the No. 12 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft.

Thomas spent the first 11 seasons with the Connecticut Sun, where she helped the team reach the WNBA Finals twice and achieve six consecutive semifinals appearances. This summer, she aims to lead the Mercury to the franchise’s fourth championship, bringing with her the mindset she developed during her time in Connecticut.

U’Ren described Thomas as “a winner” and spoke highly of how she raises the bar and makes the game easier for all of her teammates.

“I don’t think I’m going to be any different,” Thomas said. “I’m going to bring my competitive spirit, offensively and defensively. The biggest thing is — I like to help my teammates and get them easy shots. So, I expect to get Kah [Kahleah Copper] and Satou [Sabally] a lot of easy shots.”

When Thomas was a member of the Team USA women’s national team that won gold in Paris last summer, she imagined herself in the newly opened practice facility and considered what it feels like to be treated as a first-class athlete.

“I was fortunate to be here for the Olympic team back when it first opened (in July 2024),” Thomas said. “(It’s) just amazing what they did here. Not a lot of teams have this kind of investment, but it speaks volumes to the organization.”

Thomas has an impressive resume from her career, including being named to the All-WNBA First and Second teams six times, participating in five WNBA All-Star games, and being a runner-up for the Most Valuable Player award in 2023. Throughout her college career for Maryland, she won three consecutive ACC Player of the Year awards and is the all-time leader in points scored, rebounds and double-doubles in program history.

Now, Thomas begins a new chapter in a city where her fiancée, DeWanna Bonner, was drafted and won two WNBA Championships with the Mercury in 2009 and 2014.

“(DeWanna Bonner) spoke so highly of this organization,” Thomas said. “She spent 10 years here. She knows so much about the area, so I’ve gotten a crash course about this organization. She speaks so highly of the fanbase and all the people here. I’m really excited to experience it.”

The Phoenix Mercury are one of the three founding teams in the WNBA since its inception in 1997 and have developed legends while winning three WNBA Championships during the Taurasi era.

One reason Thomas chose to play for the Mercury is the franchise’s history, and she aims to follow in the footsteps of Jennifer Gillom, Taurasi, Bonner, and Griner while looking to elevate and lead the team.

“That’s one of the reasons why I came here,” Thomas said. “The history of the Mercury, how they’ve won over the years and players like Diana (Taurasi), (Brittney Griner), even (DeWanna Bonner) have done great things for this organization. I don’t plan to be any different than I’ve been in my past team in Connecticut. I’m trying to win, I don’t wanna drop off, I wanna continue to play at the same level (and) be in playoffs. The goal is (to win) the championship.”