Four Players Add To Phoenix's Legacy

The Phoenix Mercury have had four players who wore No. 15 for them, and some of them were drafted by the franchise.

New Mississippi State women's basketball coach Nikki McCray-Penson spoke of the importance of relationships and championships during her introductory press conference Tuesday. Nikki McCray-Penson | Keith Lucas, Mississippi Clarion Ledger via Imagn Content Services, LLC

The Phoenix Mercury have had four players who wore No. 15, and that number appeared in Phoenix's second season.

Andrea Kuklova wore it, and she was one of the Mercury's picks in that year's draft. She spent two seasons with the team, and in her first year, she averaged 3.3 points,1.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists. She had a career-high 10 points against the Charlotte Sting, and the Mercury lost that game by a point.

Jul 5, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; A WIlson official WNBA Evo NXT basketball approaches the rim and the net at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Kuklova was one of four players who scored in double figures, and she was the only bench player to do so. Bridget Pettis was the leading scorer, and she had 20 points. Then, Jennifer Gillom had 15 points and Toni Foster had 14.

A few years passed before another player wore the number, but Nikki McCray did it in 2004. McCray started her WNBA career with the Washington Mystics. She had an excellent rookie season, and she averaged 17.7 points, 3.1 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.5 steals. She played at a high level in her early years, and she continued to contribute as she changed teams.

June 9, 1999; Washington, D.C, USA; Washington Mystics forward Chamique Holdsclaw (23) with guard Nikki McCray. Mandatory Credit: H. Darr Beiser-USA TODAY NETWORK | H. Darr Beiser-USA TODAY

In her season with the Mercury, McCray averaged 2.6 points and 1.1 rebounds. She played 27 games, and she started in nine of them. The three-time All-Star had some strong performances throughout her career, and she had a stellar game against the Portland Fire. She was playing for the Indiana Fever at that time, and she had 30 points in her team's win.

On top of her points, McCray had two steals, a rebound, an assist and a block. That was an excellent game, and she helped her team get its fifth win of the 2002 season. She did well in her time in Phoenix, and she played during a significant season.

Sep 23, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Sparks guard Lindsey Harding (20) and Phoenix Mercury guard Briana Gilbreath (15) go for the ball in the second half of game three of the Western Conference Semi-Finals at the Staples Center. Phoenix won 78-77. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Briana Gilbreath-Butler won the number years after her, and she spent two seasons with the Mercury. While she was drafted by the Mystics, she made her debut with the Mercury. She had her career high in her time in Phoenix, as she had 13 points against the San Antonio Silver Stars. Phoenix won that game, and she played well while coming off the bench.

Mercury draft pick joins past players

After Gilbreath-Butler wore it, another player wore it in 2017. Alexis Prince briefly wore it, and she was Phoenix's draft pick. She had her career high that year, as she scored nine points against the Los Angeles Sparks.

All of these players did well in their time with the Mercury, and in some cases, they had their career highs with them.

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