Retro Mercury Player Profile: Bridget Pettis

In another installment of Retro Mercury Player Profile, this edition will discuss the player that scored the Phoenix Mercury's first basket.

Jul 18, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Sparks coach Carol Ross (right) and assistant coach Bridget Pettis react during the game against the Phoenix Mercury at the Staples Center. The Mercury defeated the Sparks 90-84. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The 1997 WNBA season is what started it all. It set the tone, and it helped the league become what it is today.

The Phoenix Mercury are a historic franchise, as they were one of the eight teams to play in the inaugural season. Phoenix had a good group of players that they picked up through allocation, the Elite Draft and the 1997 WNBA Draft.

Bridget Pettis was one of the players they selected in the Elite Draft. Pettis spent her collegiate years with Central Arizona College and Florida. She was the seventh pick of that draft.

In the 1997 season, Pettis averaged 12.6 points. She was their second-leading scorer that year, as Jennifer Gillom led with 15.7 points. Pettis is known as the player who scored the Mercury's first basket. The Mercury played the Charlotte Sting, and they beat them 76-59. Pettis had 17 points, three assists, three rebounds and a block in that game.

Phoenix had a good year, and they finished 16-12. They ended up losing to the New York Liberty in the playoffs.

Pettis averaged 11.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists and a steal in her second season. The Mercury reached the WNBA Finals that year, but they lost to the Houston Comets.

After being a starter in her first two years, Pettis pivoted to a bench role in her third year. She played in 32 games in the 1999 season, and she started in eight. She averaged 5.7 points in 16.9 minutes. Pettis spent two more seasons with the Mercury, and came off the bench in that time.

In 2002, Pettis was a part of history. She was involved in the first four-team trade in league history. She ended up with the Indiana Fever, and spent a few seasons with them as a reserve. Then, after missing the 2004 and 2005 WNBA seasons, she returned to the Mercury for a brief stint.

After her playing career, Pettis became an assistant coach for Phoenix. She was an assistant from 2006 to 2009, and won two championships in that period. Years later, she was a part of the Tulsa Shock's staff as well as the Chicago Sky.

Outside of basketball, Pettis established Project Roots, which is a non-profit organization that fights food insecurty.

Pettis is one of four players to have her jersey retired by the Mercury. She is joined by her 1997 teammates Gillom and Michelle Timms. Penny Taylor's jersey is retired as well. Pettis had a nice run with the Mercury, and she is a part of their history.

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