Mercury's Held Gets Going In College

Lexi Held was one of the Phoenix Mercury's rookies, and like she did at DePaul, she proved herself with strong performances.

Jun 7, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Mercury guard Lexi Held (1) drives past Seattle Storm guard Lexie Brown (8) in the second half at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images / Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

The Phoenix Mercury found some talented players last year, and while they did not have any draft picks, they found some good rookies.

Lexi Held was one of those rookies, and she averaged 5.3 points, 1.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists. Her standout performance was against the Golden State Valkyries, and she had 24 points. She also had two assists and a steal.

Aug 1, 2025; College Park, Georgia, USA; Phoenix Mercury guard Lexi Held (1) and Atlanta Dream guard Te-Hina Paopao (2) fight for the ball during the second half at Gateway Center Arena at College Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Held went undrafted in the 2022 WNBA Draft, and she played internationally before coming to Phoenix. The Mercury guard attended DePaul, and during those years, she had some nice performances.

In her four years, she averaged 13.0 points, 3.2 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 1.7 steals. Her third year was her best, and she averaged 16.6 points during that period.

The sharpshooting guard started her college journey in the 2018-19 season, and in her freshman season, she averaged 8.3 points, 1.6 assists and 1.3 rebounds. Held made her debut against Green Bay and her team picked up a 73-64 win. She did not score in that game, and she played three minutes.

Held has big game, establishes herself

Held saw limited action in those early games, but in her sixth game, she had a chance to prove herself. She had 28 points in her team's 124-61 win over Savannah State. She also had three steals, two rebounds and two assists. She made five 3-pointers, and she attempted 10.

Phoenix's 3-point threat had seven points in the next game, but she responded with a 13-point outing. The first game was against UConn, and the second was against Temple. DePaul went 1-1 in those games, and Held knocked down 3-pointers in both of those games.

Mercury guard Lexi Held (1) celebrates with her teammates against the Valkyries during a game at PHX Arena in Phoenix, on June 5, 2025. / Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After the win over Temple, Held had three points against Northwestern. Then, she went on a run, as she had 10 or more points in the next five games. She had 17 points against Oklahoma, and she continued to shine in DePaul's games against Tennessee State, Loyola Chicago, Creighton and Providence.

Held continued to contribute throughout the season, and later on, she had another 28-point game. DePaul faced Seton Hall, and it resulted in a 94-85 win. The sharpshooter had two assists and two rebounds to go with her points. She played well, and she made four 3-pointers in that game.

Feb 11, 2022; Storrs, Connecticut, USA; DePaul Blue Demons guard Lexi Held (10) drives the ball against UConn Huskies guard Christyn Williams (13) in the second half at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images / David Butler II-Imagn Images

It was a good year for Held, and a few years later, she showed what she was capable of at the professional level.

Please follow us on X to read more about Lexi's Held and her career up to this point when you click right here!

feed