How Many Players Wore No. 5 For The Mercury?

Over the years, the Phoenix Mercury have had several plays suit up for them. Leilani Mitchell and others wore No. 5 in their time in Phoenix.

Jun 8, 2018; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Mercury guard Leilani Mitchell drives the ball past Chicago Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot during the first half at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brian Munoz-The Arizona Republic via USA TODAY NETWORK / Brian Munoz-USA TODAY NETWORK

The Phoenix Mercury have had many players over the years. They had players like Jennifer Gillom and Michele Timms in their first season, then over the years, they had players like Diana Taurasi, Cappie Pondexter, DeWanna Bonner, Brittney Griner and several others.

Phoenix has an illustrious history, and because of that, it is not uncommon for different players to have the same jersey number. In the past, Satou Sabally's current number was discussed, and there have been other articles since. To keep that momentum going, No. 5 will be discussed.

The first player to wear No. 5 for the Mercury was Dena Head. Head wore the number in 2000. Before her time with the Mercury, she was the first pick of the Elite Draft. She was selected by the Utah Starzz.

Head spent time internationally before being drafted, and she played in countries such as Brazil, France and Italy. She spent two years with Utah, and in her first year, she averaged 5.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists. Head was waived by Utah right before the start of the 1999 season, and she did not play in the WNBA that year.

The Mercury picked her up the following year, and she played 17 games with them.

The next player to wear No. 5 for the Mercury was Kristen Veal. Veal was the 13th pick of the 2001 WNBA Draft. The Mercury drafted her, and she spent two years with them. She averaged four points and 4.3 assists in her first year.

Years later, Leilani Mitchell wore the number. Mitchell was the 25th pick in the 2008 WNBA Draft. She was drafted by the Mercury, but she was traded to the New York Liberty before the start of the season.

Mitchell signed with the Mercury in 2015, and she averaged 6.7 points, 2.7 assists and 2.1 rebounds in 34 games. The following year, she signed with the Washington Mystics and played 10 games with them. During the time she was gone, Sonja Petrovic wore No. 5 for the Mercury. Petrovic played in 31 games and averaged 5.1 points.

Mitchell returned to the Mercury, and she played with them from 2017 to 2019. In her final season in Phoenix, she averaged 12.8 points, four assists and three rebounds. She won Most Improved Player that season, which made her the first WNBA player to win it twice. Today, Mitchell is playing for the Southside Flyers of the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) in Australia.

Oct 15, 2021; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot (22) blocks Phoenix Mercury guard Shey Peddy (5) during the first half of game three of the 2021 WNBA Finals at Wintrust Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images / Matt Marton-Imagn Images

After Mitchell, there were two others that wore No. 5. Shey Peddy wore the number in her stint with the Mercury. Karlie Samuelson wore it as well, and she was the last player to do so. Samuelson wore it in 2022.

Mitchell spent the most time as No. 5 for the Mercury, and eventually someone else may wear the number.

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