Mercury Player Named WNBA’s Biggest Trash Talker

An anonymous poll of WNBA players has crowned a new trash talk champion.

Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas (25) smiles after a layup against Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young (0) during the fourth quarter at PHX Arena Jun 29, 2025. / Michael Chow/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

An anonymous poll of WNBA players has crowned a new trash talk champion.

Per The Athletic, out of 33 respondents, 13 chose the Phoenix Mercury's Alyssa Thomas as the biggest trash talker in the league. Courtney Williams was in second, with five votes, followed by Marina Mabrey with four and former Mercury player Skylar Diggins with two.

Kahleah Copper also received a vote, despite missing several games this season, as did another former Mercury player, Sophie Cunningham, who has been known to get into the occasional scuffle during games.

It's no surprise to see Thomas atop the list. One of the signature sights at a Mercury game in 2025 is Thomas lowering her shoulder into an opponent on a drive, spinning off of them for a layup, and smirking while running back on defense. "She always has something, and she's always talking," said one anonymous player. And she's had the stellar play to back up her smack talk.

Thomas has been the anchor of the league's third-best defense and fifth-best offense. She's averaging 15.3 points, third best on the team, 7.5 rebounds, and a league-leading 9.5 assists and is a nightly triple-double threat. When AT is putting on a great performance, she's sure to let her opponents know.

That goes for the refs too. She's also in a tie for fourth in the league in technical fouls, with two so far this year.

Mercury fans are no strangers to superstar players with big personalities that endear themselves to the X-Factor (four current or former Mercury players were named in that poll, after all). For years, franchise legend Diana Taurasi was known not only for her constant trash talk, but for her arguments with referees. Thomas is following in that legacy with a similarly in-your-face style of play and boundless confidence.

Taurasi, of course, has come up in earlier editions of the same poll. In 2023, she took home a whopping 53.7% of the vote (Thomas came in fifth, with 4.9%). AT has long been one of the league's top players, but she's finally getting more widespread recognition. In the 2023 poll, she was named one of the league's most underrated players, along with new teammate Satou Sabally.

The newly-formed duo is now shining for one of the WNBA's top teams, and you can bet every one of their defeated opponents have gotten an earful.

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