How Mercury's Brown Made History With Baylor

Phoenix Mercury's Kalani Brown played for Baylor in her college years, and she left her mark in that time.

Jun 21, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Phoenix Mercury center Kalani Brown (21) defends against Chicago Sky guard Hailey Van Lith (2) during the second half at Wintrust Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images / Matt Marton-Imagn Images

The Phoenix Mercury have a number of players who had successful college careers before coming into the WNBA. Some of their players won championships during that time, as three Mercury players won titles at some point in their college careers.

Kathryn Westbeld is the first that comes to mind, as she helped Notre Dame win a championship in 2018. They defeated Mississippi State to win it all. The next player who comes to mind is Kalani Brown.

Apr 7, 2019; Tampa, FL, USA; Baylor Lady Bears center Kalani Brown (21) cuts the net after defeating the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to win the championship game of the women's Final Four of the 2019 NCAA Tournament at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images / Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

Brown and Baylor win it all

Brown attended Baylor, and they won right after Notre Dame. In fact, they beat the Fighting Irish in a close game and stopped them from repeating. They beat them 82-81 in that game.

Kianna Williams is the third player who won a championship in college, as Stanford beat Arizona 54-53. Several Mercury players had great college careers, and in the past, players like Alyssa Thomas and DeWanna Bonner were discussed. Both players are not only crucial to the Mercury's success, they plaed a big role in their college teams' success and made their mark when it comes to those programs' records.

Apr 7, 2019; Tampa, FL, USA; Baylor Lady Bears guard Chloe Jackson (24) and Lady Bears center Kalani Brown (21) celebrate after defeating Notre Dame Fighting Irish to win the championship game of the women's Final Four of the 2019 NCAA Tournament at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-Imagn Images / Kim Klement-Imagn Images

This time, a player who won a championship and happens to be on their team's all-time records list as well. With that said, it is time to see where Brown stands regarding Baylor's records.

Brown has the best field goal percentage in the team's history, as she shot nearly 64 percent in her time with Baylor. When it comes to free throws, Brown made a total of 441. She is fifth on this list with players like former Mercury star Brittney Griner and Odyssey Sims ahead of her.

As far as free throw percentage, Brown is seventh. She shot 73.3 percent from the charity stripe. She is fifth in points, as she had a total of 2,209. She was also a great rebounder, as she had a total of 1,129.

Brown is also fourth in offensive rebounds, and she had 395.Then when it comes to field goals made, she is fourth with a total of 884. Brown is all over her team's records, and Griner is first in most of them. The Mercury found two skilled bigs from this school, and while their paths are different, they have helped Phoenix in different ways.

Aug 7, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas (25) with center Kalani Brown (21) against the Indiana Fever during WNBA game at PHX Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Baylor has won three championships in their time, and Mercury bigs have played a role in two of them. Brown was fantastic in her time with Baylor, and now, she is a part of a WNBA team that can win it all this season.

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