What to Know About New Indiana Fever Player Mercedes Russell
On Monday morning, the Indiana Fever announced the signing of center Mercedes Russell as a season-ending injury exception due to Damiris Dantas having surgery to repair her meniscus.
Russell is not a totally unfamiliar name among women's basketball fans, as she is a WNBA veteran and has spent time playing overseas. It's an interesting signing for the Fever and it will be intriguing to see how she fits into their system.
Who is Mercedes Russell?
Russell, a 6-foot-6 center from the University of Tennessee, spent the 2025 with the Los Angeles Sparks where she played in 20 games after playing the bulk of her career with the Seattle Storm from 2018-2024, winning two championships.
It was 2019 when Russell played her statistical peak season, where she averaged career highs in scoring, rebounds and steals over the course of 34 games played. Russell averaged 7.5 points and 6.1 rebounds a game in 25.6 minutes of action a night. She also shot an elite 61.7% from the field during that season as a starter for the Storm.
Her most recent WNBA season with the Sparks in 2025, however, showed minimal production, where she averaged just 1.7 points and 1.2 rebounds during 8 minutes per game.
Not only is she a veteran in the WNBA, but she's also had an impressive career while competing overseas, where she won the 2024 WNBL Championship as a member of Australia's Southside Flyers. Russell was also named Grand Final MVP after she averaged a massive 14.3 points, 12.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game in the series for the Flyers.
What Does Mercedes Russell Bring to the Fever?
It'll be interesting to see how much on-court action Russell will see with the Fever given their established rotations. Regardless, Russell gives Indiana another size and length option in the paint, which can also allow for breather opportunities for Aliyah Boston.
Finding further support in the post is never a bad idea, especially with the Fever currently ranking seventh in rebounds per game and just ninth in blocks. During practice on Monday, head coach Stephanie White spoke on what Russell brings to the Fever's roster.
"She's got the size and the length that can give us a different type of look on the interior. She's somebody who's experienced in this league. She understands personnel, she understands what it's like. She just gives us a different look than what we have in our post position right now," White said.
Russell's biggest asset is her interior defense and ability to give her team second chance opportunities by controlling the traffic on the glass - all areas the Fever can use some support in. As is, she'll be a steady and solid piece in their frontcourt, but perhaps one who will be challenged to keep pace in the Fever's fast approach.
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Lindsay Burke covers women’s basketball for Indiana Fever On SI and Women’s Fastbreak On SI. She graduated from Purdue University Fort Wayne with a Bachelor's Degree in journalism and a minor in media production. Early in her career she covered ECHL hockey, the NFL and college football and has since expanded her expertise to the WNBA and the Fever franchise.
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