Mercury's Pierson And More Contribute To The Team

The Phoenix Mercury have had three players who wore No. 54, and all of them had great performances at some point in their career.

Plenette Pierson (left) and Zuri Sanders react during the Texas Tech basketball block party, Monday, October 28, 2024, on Broadway. / Nathan Giese/Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Over the years, there have been a few players who wore No. 54 for the Phoenix Mercury. It is a unique number, and it took time before this number made its debut. However, it appeared in 2003 as a Mercury draft pick wore the number.

Plenette Pierson was the Mercury's first-round pick that year, and she joined the team after a difficult season. Phoenix finished the 2002 season with a record of 11-21, and they landed the fourth pick of the 2003 WNBA Draft.

Texas Tech women's basketball associate coach Plenette Pierson gives instructions during the first practice of the season Monday, Sept. 23, 2024, at United Supermarkets Arena. / Stephen Garcia/Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Mercury chose Pierson, and she played for Texas Tech during her college days. She averaged 15.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.3 blocks, 1.1 assists and 1.1 steals in her four years, and she played exceptionally well in her final season. She averaged 17.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks.

Pierson shines in Phoenix's loss

In her first season with the Mercury, Pierson averaged six points and 2.4 rebounds. She had the best game of her career during that time, and she did it against the Los Angeles Sparks. She had 26 points, and she was the team's leading scorer.

Oct 4, 2017; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Lynx forward Plenette Pierson (22) hugs guard Seimone Augustus (33) after the game against the Los Angeles Sparks in Game 5 of the WNBA Finals at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images / Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

Pierson was the only reserve who scored in double figures, and two other Mercury players scored 10 points or higher. Adrian Williams-Strong had 16 points and Anna DeForge had 13. Phoenix lost that game, and they lost their 15th game of the season.

After the 2003 season, Pierson played another year with the Mercury before she was traded to the Detroit Shock during the 2005 season. She won two championships with the Shock before winning another in 2017. She had a nice career, and it all started with the Mercury.

When Pierson left, another player who wore No. 54 for Phoenix. Mandisa Stevenson wore it, and after playing for the San Antonio Silver Stars and the Seattle Storm, she played for the Mercury. She did not have her career high in her time with the Mercury, as she had her top performance with the Silver Stars.

Stevenson scored nine points in a game against the Storm, and San Antonio lost that game. Regardless, Stevenson had a solid game off the bench.

Aug 15, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; A WNBA official Wilson Evo NXT basketball approaches the rim and net at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Mercury had one other player who wore No. 54, as Barbara Farris wore it in 2008. Farris played for the Shock and the New York Liberty before coming to Phoenix, and in her season with the Mercury, she played 34 games. She came off the bench in most of them.

Farris' best game in Phoenix was an 11-point game against the Chicago Sky. The Mercury won that game, and she was one of six players who scored in double figures. When it came to her career high,

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