Alyssa Thomas makes WNBA history with three consecutive triple-doubles as Mercury star continues MVP push

With just under four minutes remaining in the Phoenix Mercury’s dominant 95-60 win over the Indiana Fever on Thursday night, Alyssa Thomas spotted her fiancée DeWanna Bonner open in the corner and fired a pass her way. Bonner quickly launched a 3-pointer that caught nothing but net, and the crowd inside PHX Arena erupted. 

Bonner’s shot gave Thomas her 10th assist of the game and put the versatile forward in a class of her own. Thomas finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists to become the first player in WNBA history to record three consecutive triple-doubles. 

Over the last three games — all wins — Thomas is averaging 13.7 points, 11 rebounds and 10.7 assists on 61.5% shooting, and the Mercury have outscored their opponents by 73 points with Thomas on the floor. 

“I couldn’t do it without my teammates,” Thomas said. “I needed that last assist and everyone wanted to make sure that I got it, so just super happy to be here, super grateful for my team and it’s an honor.”

Thomas now has four triple-doubles this season and 15 for her career, which is far and away the most in WNBA history. In fact, Thomas has more triple-doubles than the next five players on the all-time list combined. 

Most triple-doubles in WNBA history (regular season only)

Thomas spent the first 11 seasons of her career with the Connecticut Sun and took the franchise to the Finals twice. Last season, however, she became vocal about the team’s lack of resources, particularly a practice facility. In the winter, she decided she wanted a change of scenery and was traded to the Mercury. 

The Sun, who also lost their coach and other key players such as Bonner and Brionna Jones, are stuck in last place at 5-24, while the Mercury are in fourth at 19-11 thanks to Thomas’ brilliance. 

Thomas missed a few weeks early in the season with a calf injury, but she has been incredible since then. After Thursday, she’s averaging 15.9 points on 53.3% shooting, 8.7 rebounds, a league-leading 9.2 assists, and 1.6 steals. She’s on pace for career-highs in scoring, assists and field goal percentage, and the Mercury are 17-8 with her in the lineup compared to 2-3 without her. 

Just a few weeks ago, the WNBA MVP race seemed over, but Napheesa Collier’s ankle injury has opened the door for Thomas to make a late charge. After Thursday night, Collier is a -420 favorite, per Caesars Sportsbook, with Thomas sitting at +250. 

Collier went down on Aug. 2 and is expected to miss at least two weeks. As long as that timeline is not extended significantly and Collier returns to her pre-injury form, the award is still hers to lose. However, should she end up missing three-to-four weeks, and if Thomas continues to put up absurd numbers, the conversation is going to get interesting. 

Thomas has finished in the top five in MVP voting in each of the last three seasons and was the runner-up to Breanna Stewart in the historic 2023 race.