History of Phoenix Mercury in Timeline

The Phoenix Mercury are a professional women's basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona, competing in the WNBA's Western Conference. Founded as one of the league's original eight franchises in 1997, the Mercury play their home games at PHX Arena.

1980: Paul Westhead NBA Championship

In 1980, Paul Westhead won an NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers.

1997: Franchise foundation

In 1997, the Phoenix Mercury were founded as one of the original eight franchises before the WNBA's inaugural season. They compete in the WNBA as a member of the Western Conference and play their home games at PHX Arena.

1998: WNBA Finals Appearance

In 1998, the Mercury qualified for the playoffs with a 19-11 record. They defeated the Cleveland Rockers to reach the WNBA Finals for the first time but lost to the Houston Comets 2-1 in the series.

1999: Missed Playoffs

In 1999, the Mercury missed the playoffs, finishing with a 15-17 record.

2000: Playoff Sweep and Team Turmoil

In 2000, the Mercury finished with a 20-12 record but were swept by the Los Angeles Sparks in the playoffs. After the season, the team faced turmoil as the coach left, and the core players broke up due to retirement or trades.

2000: Last Winning Record Until 2006

The Phoenix Mercury had not had a winning record between 2000 and 2006.

2000: Playoff Drought Ended

The Phoenix Mercury made their first playoff appearance since 2000, marking the end of a significant drought.

2001: Start of Lean Years

From 2001, the Mercury were at the bottom of the WNBA and were not competitive, going through multiple coaches.

2003: Horrible Season and #1 Draft Pick

In 2003, the Mercury posted an 8-26 record, leading them to win the #1 overall choice in the 2004 WNBA Draft.

2004: End of Lean Years

By 2004, the Mercury were still at the bottom of the WNBA and were not competitive, going through multiple coaches.

2004: Drafting Diana Taurasi and Improved Record

In 2004, the Mercury drafted Diana Taurasi with the #1 overall pick, and she went on to win the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award. The team improved to a 17-17 record.

2005: Missed Playoffs Again

In 2005, the Mercury posted a 16-18 record and missed the playoffs.

2006: Paul Westhead becomes head coach and Cappie Pondexter drafted

In 2006, former NBA coach Paul Westhead became the Mercury's head coach, bringing his up-tempo style to Phoenix. The Mercury also drafted Cappie Pondexter with the #2 overall selection in the 2006 WNBA Draft, enhancing their offense.

2006: 2006 WNBA Finals

In 2006, neither of the best two teams by record made it to the WNBA finals.

2006: Previous Championship of Detroit Shock

In 2006, the Detroit Shock won the WNBA Championship.

2006: Winning Record, Missed Playoffs

In 2006, the Mercury posted a winning record for the first time since 2000, finishing 18-16 but narrowly missing the playoffs.

November 7, 2007: Hiring of Corey Gaines as head coach

On November 7, 2007, The Mercury announced the hiring of Corey Gaines as head coach to replace the departing Paul Westhead.

2007: WNBA Championship

In 2007, the Phoenix Mercury won the WNBA Championship, defeating the Detroit Shock.

2008: Failed to Qualify for Playoffs

In 2008, the Mercury finished the season with a disappointing 16-18 record and failed to qualify for the playoffs after winning the WNBA Finals the previous year.

2008: San Antonio Silver Stars Conference Champion

In 2008, the San Antonio Silver Stars were the conference champion.

2009: WNBA Championship

In 2009, the Phoenix Mercury won the WNBA Championship, defeating the Indiana Fever.

2010: Cappie Pondexter traded and Candice Dupree joins the Mercury

In 2010, All-star guard Cappie Pondexter was traded to the New York Liberty. All-Star Candice Dupree joined the duo of Taurasi and Penny Taylor as the Mercury looked to repeat.

2010: Playoff Run Ends in Conference Finals

In 2010, after finishing 15-19, the Mercury swept San Antonio in the first round of the Playoffs but lost to the eventual champion Seattle Storm in the conference finals.

2011: Playoff Run Ends in Conference Finals

In 2011, the Mercury recovered from a 0-3 start to gain the third seed in the WNBA Playoffs, upset the Seattle Storm, and reached its third straight conference finals, where they lost to the Minnesota Lynx in two games.

2012: Second Worst Record in the WNBA

In 2012, the Phoenix Mercury franchise finished with the second worst record in the WNBA, a 7-27 mark.

2012: Playoff Drought Start

In 2023, the Mercury missed the playoffs for the first time since 2012.

April 2013: Drafting Brittney Griner

In April 2013, the Phoenix Mercury selected Brittney Griner with the top overall pick in the WNBA draft.

2014: Diana Taurasi WNBA Salary

In 2014, Diana Taurasi's WNBA salary was just under the league maximum of $107,000.

2014: Third WNBA Championship

In 2014, the Phoenix Mercury set an all-time WNBA record for wins in a season with 29 and won their third WNBA Championship.

2014: Previous Finals Appearance

The 2021 Finals appearance was the Mercury's first since 2014.

February 3, 2015: Diana Taurasi Sits Out Season

On February 3, 2015, Diana Taurasi announced she would sit out the 2015 WNBA season at the request of her Russian Premier League team, UMMC Ekaterinburg, which offered her more money than her WNBA salary.

2016: Playoff Run Ends in Semifinals

In 2016, the Mercury upset the Indiana Fever and New York Liberty to reach the Semifinals but lost to the Minnesota Lynx.

2017: Playoff Run Ends in Semifinals

In 2017, the Mercury won their first two playoff games against the Seattle Storm and Connecticut Sun but lost in the Semifinals to the Los Angeles Sparks.

2018: Playoff Run Ends in Semifinals, Taurasi's First Elimination Game Loss

In 2018, the Mercury won both single-elimination playoff games, but lost in the semifinals to the Seattle Storm, marking Diana Taurasi's first loss in a winner-take-all elimination game.

2019: First-Round Playoff Elimination

In 2019, the Mercury made the playoffs as the number eight seed with a 15-19 record but were eliminated in the first-round elimination game by the Chicago Sky, 105-76. Diana Taurasi was injured and missed a lot of the season.

2020: Skylar Diggins Acquired; Griner Leaves, Playoff Loss

In 2020, the Mercury traded Bonner to the Sun for draft picks used to acquire Skylar Diggins. Brittney Griner left after 12 games, and the Mercury finished 13-9 as the number 5 seed, losing to the Lynx in the second round of the playoffs.

2021: WNBA Finals Appearance and Coaching Change

In 2021, the Mercury finished with a 19-13 record and advanced to the WNBA Finals, where they lost to the Chicago Sky 1-3. After the season, the Mercury did not renew Sandy Brondello's contract.

2021: WNBA Finals appearance

In 2021, the Phoenix Mercury went to the WNBA Finals but lost to the Chicago Sky.

2021: Tina Charles Leading Scorer

In January 2022, the Mercury signed Tina Charles, the leading scorer of the 2021 season, in free agency.

January 2022: Vanessa Nygaard Named Head Coach

In January 2022, Vanessa Nygaard was named the new head coach of the Phoenix Mercury.

February 2023: Acquisition of Phoenix Mercury by Mat Ishbia

In February 2023, Mat Ishbia finalized the purchase of the Phoenix Mercury from Robert Sarver. The team was part of Sarver's sports assets in Arizona acquired by Ishbia.

2023: Last Place Finish and Coaching Change

In 2023, the Mercury started the season 2-10 and fired Vanessa Nygaard. Nikki Blue became the interim head coach, but the Mercury finished last in the league with a 9-31 record. Nate Tibbetts was named the new head coach in October.

2024: Diggins Leaves, Copper Acquired

Before the 2024 season, Diggins left in free agency, and the Mercury traded the third overall pick along with other assets to acquire Kahleah Copper. They finished with a 19-21 record and were swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Lynx.

2024: Draft Lottery Pick

In December 2023, the Mercury were awarded the third overall pick in the 2024 WNBA draft lottery.

2025: Taurasi Retirement and Major Trades

Before the 2025 season, Taurasi announced her retirement, and Griner left in free agency. The Mercury acquired Alyssa Thomas and Satou Sabally in a big four-team trade.