Mercury Re-Sign Veteran Guard After Injury to Starter

With starting guard Monique Akoa Makani sidelined due to a concussion, the Phoenix Mercury have re-signed Kiana Williams on a 7-day contract

Jul 9, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Mercury guard Kiana Williams (23) against the Minnesota Lynx at PHX Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Phoenix Mercury announced that they have re-signed veteran guard Kiana Williams to a seven-day contract.

This comes after news that starting point guard Monique Akoa Makani, will miss Wednesday's game against the Minnesota Lynx with a concussion, according to Underdog WNBA. Williams played four games for the Mercury earlier this season.

Akoa Makani suffered the injury after colliding with an opponent while running up the floor during Monday's game against the Golden State Valkyries.

She joined the Mercury this year as a free agent from the French team Charnay Basket Bourgogne Sud and has started every game this year, acting as a vital part of the Mercury's offense (knocking down a sizzling 43.1% of her threes) while serving as the tip of the spear for a defensive unit that forces more turnovers than any other in the league.

The Mercury are already playing without All-Star scorers Satou Sabally and Kahleah Copper and their guard rotation is getting even thinner. Last game, they were forced to play with just eight players suited up and they were in need of an emergency fill-in.

Kiana Williams played for the Mercs, she dropped 17 points in just 21 minutes off the bench off 7-for-8 shooting from the field and 3-for-4 shooting from beyond the arc in the team's victory over the Dallas Wings on July 7th. She scored four points combined in her other three games with the team and last played for Phoenix on July 9th's win over the Lynx. She was waived the next day.

Williams was drafted 18th overall by the Seattle Storm in 2021 and has bounced around the league since, signing a seven-day contract with the Connecticut Sun in 2022, getting a training camp invite for the Lynx in 2023, and returning to the Storm in 2024 before ultimately being waived.

The 5'7" guard can provide some secondary ballhandling and can knock down open threes when called upon.

Though the 26-year-old has yet to nail down a consistent role in the W, she was a star and an NCAA champion in college for Stanford and was named to three All-Pac 12 teams. She shot 37% from three during her college career and had two seasons shooting 38%, and her ability to knock down open shots should help her slot in next to slashers like Alyssa Thomas and bigs like Kalani Brown.

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