WNBA: Phoenix Mercury fans, welcome to the Alyssa Thomas experience

How does one begin to fill the void left behind by Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner?

They left the desert at the same time, and now the Phoenix Mercury are completely unrecognizable from the 2014 iteration that won the franchise’s last championship—the one that Taurasi and Griner won together.

Imagine you’re a Mercury fan. Taurasi has retired after 20 SEASONS of being the GOAT of the sport for you. Griner left for Atlanta just three years after her wrongful detainment, an awful experience forged a bond between you and her that ran about as deep as any ever seen between fans and an athlete. Where does that leave you Mercury fans? I can’t speak for you, but I imagine it’s hard to come up with what to say.

Enter Alyssa Thomas. And also Satou Sabally, who is new too, and Kahleah Copper, who was with you last year and made the All-WNBA Second Team. But really, the focus is on Thomas. Things changed when AT finished second in MVP voting in 2023. She truly is a top three player in the league now—a force of nature who single-handedly gives her team a chance to win. For at least another year or two, that will remain the case; she just turned 33 and will age slowly given her top-notch conditioning.

Just as the Mercury stand at an interesting juncture in their history, Thomas stands at an interesting juncture in her career. She never won a championship in college (one Final Four appearance), and came so close so many times with the Connecticut Sun without winning a WNBA title (two Finals losses and four semifinals losses in the past six seasons). Now she’s starting anew, hoping a fresh opportunity in a new city will bring her that long-awaited ring. It seems that the Mercury’s lack of depth will put them well behind the Liberty, Aces, Lynx and Fever when it comes to overall talent, and I feel they are behind a few other teams as well. None of that has to do with their “Big 3,” which is spectacular, but the fact remains that this year might be Thomas’ worst shot at a championship in quite some time.

So what will happen in the Valley in 2025? A wasted year until the Mercury can add more pieces next year? Not on Thomas’ watch, of course. She’s proven us wrong so many times.

But back to Mercury fans’ situation. Of course they want AT to bring them a championship, and ideally this year. But there was something that Taurasi and Griner brought even in the many years where championships weren’t won. They simply were the Phoenix Mercury. Thomas is now tasked with becoming that new fixture, the player who brings joy to the crowd win or lose.

Thomas could always ask her fiancée, DeWanna Bonner, how to gain the favor of Phoenix fans, seeing as Bonner was a beloved and key piece of the puzzle for the Mercury for 10 years, including during the 2009 and 2014 championship runs. In fact, simply being Bonner’s fiancée already gives Thomas a connection to her new fan base.

Aside from her tie in via Bonner, and in addition to being a fierce competitor and exceedingly loyal, something Thomas possesses that could endear her to the Phoenix faithful is a unique style of play. Because of her torn labra, she hasn’t shot a jump shot in years, instead bullying her way to the basket with drives and back downs and, of course, in transition, which is her specialty.

She adds all-world defensive, passing and rebounding abilities, and has skyrocketed far above everyone else in WNBA history in career triple-doubles, tallying all 15 of her career triple-doubles in the past three seasons; that puts her 11 ahead of second-place Sabrina Ionescu. 2023 was particularly special, when she registered seven triple-doubles, averaged 15.5 points, 9.9 rebounds, 7.9 assists and 1.8 steals, and became the only player to ever lead the league in both total rebounds and total assists.

The once reserved college star wasn’t afraid to pound her chest after the Sun’s elimination from the playoffs that year, saying:

I had a season you’ve never seen in this league and probably won’t see again, unless I do it. So let’s be reasonable. I mean triple-doubles, most double-doubles in league history. We’re talking about league records. So for me, I have a lot to be proud of. No one can take away the fact that I’ll always be in the record books.

All this bully ball, defense, passing and rebounding has become her identity, and the uniqueness of her style is definitely something Mercury fans should enjoy cheering for. Her unabashed refusal to surgically repair her shoulders (she had the opportunity when she was out with a ruptured Achilles), conviction to continue playing her style and audacity to brazenly play the game better than everyone outside A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart are as much a part of her appeal as anything else.

DT and BG are irreplaceable, but I hope I’ve painted a picture of just how special AT is. She’s not just any new star who’s coming in. She’s the third-best player in the league, and arguably the most compelling.

Mercury fans, welcome to the Alyssa Thomas experience.