Mercury All-Star And Others Shine During Difficult Season

The Phoenix Mercury struggled in 2003, but some of their players managed to have some strong performances.

May 22, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; General view of WNBA basketballs on the bench before the game between the Seattle Storm and the Los Angeles Sparks at the Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Phoenix Mercury had a difficult season in 2003. They finished the season with a record of 8-26, as they went through their share of losing streaks.

Phoenix had its worse season up to that point, and things would soon get better. Regardless, the Mercury struggled, and tried to fight through the season.

Aug 30, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; A detailed view of the official WNBA basketballs on the floor before the start of the game between the New York Liberty and Phoenix Mercury at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-Imagn Images / Allan Henry-Imagn Images

When it comes to scoring, the Mercury were led by Anna DeForge. She averaged 11.9 points, and while a few players were close, no one else averaged double figures.

Adrian Williams-Strong averaged 9.8 points, which was her career high, and she received a special honor that year. She became an All-Star that year, which made her the fourth Mercury player to be selected. Jennifer Gillom and Michele Timms were involved in the WNBA's first All-Star Game, and Brandy Reed made it in 2000.

Tamicha Jackson was third in scoring, and she averaged 8.8 points. She spent the season with them, and she returned to Phoenix later in her career.

Jul 7, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; A Wilson official WNBA Evo NXT basketball approaches the net and rim at the Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

DeForge had a nice season, and her season high was against the San Antonio Silver Stars. She had 24 points in that game, and she also had four steals, three rebounds, two blocks and an assist. DeForge was one of four players who scored at least 10 points, as Kayte Christensen had 16 points, Lisa Harrison had 11 and Jackson had 10. This was one of the games that the Mercury won, as they beat the Silver Stars 89-62.

Phoenix's All-Star has big game

Williams-Strong had her career high that year, as she had 20 points against the Detroit Shock. She had a double-double, as she also had 11 rebounds. The Mercury had one other player who scored in double figures, and it was Christensen. She had 11 points, three rebounds, two steals and a block. Phoenix beat Detroit 68-65 in that game, and it was the team's third win.

Jackson's best game was against the Seattle Storm. She had 20 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals. DeForge was the second-leading scorer, as she had 19 points. She also had five rebounds, four assists and four steals. The Mercury won that game, as they beat the Storm 64-50.

Sep 23, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; A general view of a game ball on the court in a game between the Phoenix Mercury and Minnesota Lynx during game two of the second round for the 2025 WNBA Playoffs at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images / Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

These three players were bright spots in the Mercury's bad year. They had nice games at different points, and after this season, and later on, their team would turn things around.

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