Valeriane Ayayi to make Mercury debut vs. Lynx

The Phoenix Mercury have started off the 2026 WNBA season at 1-1, and they are set to get reinforcements for their third game of the year against the Minnesota Lynx as Valeriane Ayayi was cleared to join the team, as per Annie Costabile of The Athletic.

Valeriane Ayayi’s 2026 WNBA season debut was on hold as the French native needed clearance from FIBA before she could officially join the Mercury. She made the team’s roster out of training camp and was present for media day, but she was not yet able to suit up in games.

This will be Ayayi’s second season in the WNBA, and first since the 2015 season. She went undrafted in the 2015 WNBA Draft, and later signed with the then San Antonio Stars, who have now become the Las Vegas Aces. Ayayi appeared in 16 games for the Stars that season, at a little over nine minutes per game.

She came off the bench to average 2.3 points and 1.8 rebounds with splits of 31.3 percent shooting from the field, 19 percent shooting from the 3-point line and 42.9 percent shooting from the free-throw line.

Ayayi also has extensive overseas experience, having played professionally in both France and the Czech Republic in the years between her last WNBA appearance. In addition to her professional career, Ayayi plays for the French national team. She was a part of the bronze medal team at the in Tokyo in 2021 and part of the silver medal team in Paris in 2024.

Ayayi also has multiple medals from having played with France during various EuroBasket competitions from 2013 to the present.