Mercury's Toni Foster Helps Team Make History

The Phoenix Mercury had some talented players on their 1997 roster, and one of them was their first pick in the 1997 WNBA Draft.

Sep 23, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; A general view of a game ball on the court in a game between the Phoenix Mercury and Minnesota Lynx 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

The Phoenix Mercury had some talented players in their first season. They were building that roster in that first year, and they had players like Jennifer Gillom and Michele Timms, who they acquired through allocation. Then they added more players through the elite draft and the 1997 WNBA Draft.

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The elite draft brought in Bridget Pettis and Nancy Lieberman. In terms of that year's WNBA Draft, the Mercury had four picks. With their first pick of that draft, they selected Toni Foster.

Foster played for Iowa in college, and her best year was her second year. She averaged 15.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.9 steals, 1.5 assists and 1.3 blocks. She was in the same draft as players such as Tina Thompson and Pamela McGee.

Foster contributes in rookie season

In her first year, Foster averaged 8.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.9 steals and an assist. Her WNBA career and Mercury debut got off to a good start, as she had 14 points, eight rebounds, three steals, and two assists against the Charlotte Sting. Since the Mercury reached the playoffs in their first season, Foster saw playoff action right away. In that game, she had seven points, five rebounds, three steals and an assist.

Foster played in 28 games in her first season, and she started in all of them. Her second season was a bit different, as she appeared in 16 games, and she started in five of them. So, being a reserve in that season, her minutes and her stats decreased. Foster averaged 4.9 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists.

The Mercury made the playoffs once again in 1998, and Foster received a bit of time during that run. She averaged 1.7 points and 1.3 rebounds.

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The 1999 season was Foster's final year, and she averaged 2.5 points. Foster played a total of 54 games in her career, and she started in 33 of them. She did not play for another team, but in her years with the Mercury, she had some nice moments.

Her best game in her years with the Mercury was during the rookie season, and she had 16 points. She also had eight rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block. Phoenix won that game, as they beat the Sacramento Monarchs 83-60.

Aug 9, 2010; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Sparks coach Jennifer Gillom during the game against the Indiana Fever at the Staples Center. The Fever defeated the Sparks 82-76. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Like Gillom and other players, Foster has a special place in Mercury history. She did not play that many years with the team, but she was there from the beginning. That in itself is historic and worth recognizing. Foster was on the team that started it all, and now, this year's team is carrying on tradition.

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