Skip to main content

WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury Fires Coach Vanessa Nygaard

In this story:

Phoenix Mercury
Phoenix Mercury

The Phoenix Mercury announced Sunday that they have fired head coach Vanessa Nygaard after the team started 2-10 this season. Nikki Blue has been named interim head coach.

Nygaard was in her second season as the Mercury’s head coach, having taken over for Sandy Brondello in January 2022 after Brondello left for the Liberty. Prior to coaching Phoenix, Nygaard spent a year as an assistant coach for the Aces and a decade as the head coach of the Windward School high school girls basketball team in Los Angeles.

Last year, Phoenix went 15-21, the first time since the 2012 season that the Mercury lost over 20 games, and lost in the first round of the WNBA playoffs. So far this season, the Mercury have the worst record in the league.

Blue, who played in the WNBA from 2006 to ’10, takes over as the interim coach after joining the team as an assistant last year. Previously, Blue served as an assistant coach at four different colleges.

© 2024 ABG-SI LLC. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ABG-SI LLC. - All Rights Reserved. The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only. All betting content is intended for an audience ages 21+. All advice, including picks and predictions, is based on individual commentators’ opinions and not that of Minute Media or its related brands. All picks and predictions are suggestions only. No one should expect to make money from the picks and predictions discussed on this website. For more information, please read our Legal Disclaimer. Gambling content intended for 21+. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER.