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WNBA Team Abruptly Releases Player After Season Opener

Originally posted on Athlon Sports
By Rowan Fisher-Shotton | Last updated May 19, 2025 6:12 PM ET

The Phoenix Mercury opened their 2025 WNBA season on Saturday with a commanding 81-59 win at home over the Seattle Storm.

Satou Sabally led the way in scoring, pouring in 27 points along with six rebounds, while five-time All-Star Alyssa Thomas chipped in 20 points, seven rebounds, and six assists.

On Monday, just two days after their season opener, the Mercury roster received a major shake-up.

Forward Alexis Prince was waived and, in a corresponding move, center Murjanatu Musa’s contract was activated, paring the roster back to 12, per Desert Wave Media.

Prince logged two points and eight rebounds in 22 minutes of action on Saturday.

BREAKING NEWS: Phoenix Mercury forward Alexis Prince has been waived by the Mercury.

Center Murjanatu Musa’s contract has been activated by the Mercury in a corresponding move.

The Mercury’s roster is now at 12 players.#WNBA #ValleyTogether
— Desert Wave Media (@DesertWaveCo) May 19, 2025

Prince, a 6-foot-2 guard out of Baylor, was originally the Mercury’s third-round pick (29th overall) in the 2017 WNBA Draft.

A decorated collegiate star, she was a McDonald’s All-American Game MVP in high school, earned Big 12 All-Freshman honors in 2013, and capped her Baylor career with a spot on the Big 12 All-Defensive Team in 2017.

In three WNBA seasons, 18 games with Phoenix in 2017, two with Atlanta in 2018, and two with Chicago in 2020, she averaged 2.3 points and 1.0 rebound in 6.9 minutes per game.

Despite being a fan favorite during Phoenix’s 2025 training camp, with the roster flush with veteran talent and rookie prospects, Prince ultimately lost the numbers game.

In 2024, under first-year head coach Nate Tibbetts, Phoenix finished 19-21, seventh in the league, and earned a playoff berth only to be swept in the first round by the Minnesota Lynx (102-95 and 101-88).

Waiving Prince is a rare cut so early in a campaign, and it signals how urgently the Mercury are reconfiguring depth to remain competitive.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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