Phoenix Mercury Sign Former Stanford star

Stanford women's basketball players continue to take the WNBA by storm. On the same day that the Phoenix Mercury waived guard, Megan McConnell, the team announced that they had brought in former Stanford guard Kiana Williams, signing her to a contract for the rest of the 2025 season. This will be Williams' first time signing with a WNBA team this season.

Williams, who has been in the league for three seasons, last appeared in 2024 with the Seattle Storm. Playing 27 total games with the team between 2021 and 2024, she averaged 0.7 points, 0.4 assists and 0.3 rebounds. Williams' signing with the team comes after McConnell was diagnosed with a right knee injury that makes her timeline for a return to the court undetermined.

Spending 2017-21 with Stanford, Williams played a key role in the team's national championship win in 2021, averaging 14.0 points, 3.1 assists and 2.0 rebounds in her final campaign while starting in all 33 games. Her strong season earned her major award recognition, including being named a Second-team All-American by USBWA, a Third-team All-American by AP, and an All-Pac-12 member, among other awards.

Her best season at Stanford came when she was a junior, averaging 15.0 points, 3.8 assists and 3.2 rebounds and despite the NCAA tournament being canceled that season due to COVID, she helped the Cardinal be in a good position to make a deep run if there had been a tournament.

After her senior season, the Storm drafted her in the second round, 18th overall in the 2021 draft. She then went on to play for the Storm in '21 and the first part of 2022 before getting waived. After her release from Seattle, she played one game for the Connecticut Sun before being out of the league for the entirety of 2023.

Williams joins the Mercury at a pivotal time. Sitting at 11-4 and currently possessing the third-best record in the league, Williams will aim to provide depth for a team looking to win its first title since 2014 and make its first appearance in the Finals since 2021. A good facilitator, as well as being very good with the ball, Williams will most likely be a bench player to start but if need be, she has proven that she can shine when it matters.

This contract is a pivotal one for Williams, who may be on her last chance to make it in the W. If she is able to perform well and provide strong depth for Phoenix, she may find a more permanent home where she can truly prove herself.