How Mercury's Akoa Makani Made History

The Phoenix Mercury brought in Monique Akoa Makani, and when it comes to stats, she stood out in a particular area.

Phoenix Mercury guard Monique Akoa Makani (8) lays the ball up past Las Vegas Aces forward Kierstan Bell (1) during Game 3 of the WNBA Finals at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix on Oct. 8, 2025. / Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In what was a great year for the Phoenix Mercury, they found a good group of rookies. The Mercury did not have any draft picks this year, but they still managed to add rookies, as they signed multiple to training camp deals.

Phoenix's rookies had unconventional paths, as some went undrafted in past seasons, but this year, they found a home. For example, Kathryn Westbeld went undrafted back in 2018. She signed a training camp deal with the Los Angeles Sparks shortly after, but she did not make the roster. That led to her playing overseas for a few years, and this season, she signed a training camp deal with Phoenix and made their roster.

All of the Mercury's rookies had different journeys, and in Monique Akoa Makani's case, she was playing in France and made her way to Phoenix.

Jul 14, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Phoenix Mercury guard Monique Akoa Makani (8) shoots the ball against the Golden State Valkyries during the first quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images / Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

Akoa Makani introduces herself

Akoa Makani signed a training camp deal, made the final roster and became one of the team's starters. She had a solid year, as she averaged 7.7 points, 2.7 assists and 2.2 rebounds. One thing that was interesting about her rookie season was her free throw shooting.

Aug 7, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Mercury guard Monique Akoa Makani (8) against the Indiana Fever during WNBA game at PHX Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Mercury rookie shot 41 free throws this year, and she made 38 of them. She shot 92.7 percent from the charity stripe, which placed her on an interesting list.

When it comes to rookies, Akoa Makani is seventh on the all-time list in terms of percentage. Veronica Burton is first on the list, as she was perfect from the free-throw line. Back in 2022, she shot 32 free throws, and she made all of them.

Sep 23, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Phoenix Mercury guard Monique Akoa Makani (8) dribbles past Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier (24) in the second half during game two of the second round for the 2025 WNBA Playoffs at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images / Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Then, players like Maggie Lucas, Maddy Siegrist and Elena Delle Donne are ahead of Akoa Makani, as they were nearly perfect from the line. Phoenix's rookie is ahead of past players like Sandy Brondello and Kristi Toliver. She is also ahead of current players like Caitlin Clark and Jewell Loyd, who both shot around 90 percent from the free-throw line in their rookie years.

As far as rookies in the 2025 season, Akoa Makani was the best in this category. Paige Bueckers, who won Rookie of the Year, was second as she shot around 89 percent.

The future looks bright for Phoenix's rookie, and come next season, she remain one of their reliable starters.

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