Mercury Have Third-Best Title Odds Say WNBA Players

Chris Harrison | Jul 18, 2025

Mercury guard Kahleah Copper (left) talks with forward Satou Sabally during her news conference at the Phoenix Mercury Practice Facility after signing as a free agent in Phoenix on Feb. 4, 2025. / Michael Chow/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In a recent survey of active WNBA players conducted by The Athletic, players were asked "other than your own team, who will win the 2025 WNBA title?" 27 players responded (they were only allowed one answer each), and only three teams garnered a vote at all.

The Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty, last year's finalists, were the clear-cut favorites, with the Lynx, holders of the WNBA's best record, collecting 55.6% of the vote. The Liberty finished in second with 40.7% of the vote.

The Phoenix Mercury, with one vote (3.7%) were the only other team to receive a vote. According to The Athletic, several players chose not to respond because they "didn't want to speak another team's success into existence."

There were no surprise sleeper picks here; the votes lined up exactly with the current WNBA standings. The Liberty have the league's second-best record at 15-6 and the Mercury are third at 15-7. Both trail the 20-4 Lynx, who won their first nine games and are still undefeated in Minneapolis.

All three teams share one thing that marks them as true contenders: they are all in the league's top five in both offensive and defensive efficiency (Phoenix is number five in both categories). Curiously, the Atlanta Dream are also top-five in both categories (fourth in offense and third in defense) but received no votes. The Lynx have been incredible, placing first in both offense and defense, while the Liberty are second in both categories.

While it may seem like the Liberty and Lynx are in a tier of their own, Phoenix has a legitimate shot as a dark horse title contender. They have a top-five offense despite Kahleah Copper, a former Finals MVP and the 2024 Mercury's leading scorer, having only played six out of a possible 22 games this season.

MVP candidate Alyssa Thomas has missed five games and leading scorer (and All-Star starter selection) Satou Sabally has missed four. The Mercury's fourth-leading scorer (in terms of points per game), DeWanna Bonner, wasn't even on the team until a little over a week ago and has played just three games since reuniting with the team she was with for her first 11 years in the WNBA.

It's entirely possible that the league will only just be getting to see the best version of the Mercury as the playoffs approach, assuming Copper, Sabally, and the recently-injured Monique Akoa Makani are healthy during the stretch run.

Follow us on X and Facebook for more updates on Phoenix Mercury news.

feed