Last season, the Phoenix Mercury made it all the way to the WNBA Finals, where they got swept by the Las Vegas Aces.
But this season, things simply haven’t clicked for them. They currently have a 7-13 record and are second-to-last in the Western Conference.
The Mercury’s defense, which had been rock-solid last year, has regressed, and as Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham pointed out, something is off about the team’s personnel.
Sophie Cunningham Makes Bold Claim About Phoenix Mercury
During the latest episode of the “Show Me Something” podcast, Cunningham discussed the two games Phoenix recently played against her Fever and the controversies surrounding both matchups.
On Monday, Cunningham pointed a finger at the Mercury’s DeWanna Bonner in a viral moment, and then on Wednesday, when the two teams met again, Phoenix star Alyssa Thomas drove her fist into Caitlin Clark’s throat when the Fever star was on the ground, going after a loose ball.
The Mercury shared a post on its X account mocking Clark — and then removed it.
Thomas was fined $1,000 by the league and suspended for one game, sparking outrage, especially given that this was simply the latest in a series of dirty fouls committed on Clark.
SEE ALSO: Lisa Leslie Makes Feelings Clear on ‘the Face of the WNBA,’ and It’s Not Caitlin Clark
According to Cunningham, the message was clear. Many do not like the players on the Mercury’s roster, including even people within the organization.
“I know people in their own organization that — nobody likes their team this year. They say that they’re the unfriendliest group. So we’re not the only ones who feel that way. Internal people feel that way too.”
Basketball-wise, the Mercury are missing Satou Sabally, a forward who made the All-Star team with them while averaging 16.3 points and 5.9 rebounds a game last season.
Sabally joined the New York Liberty in free agency during the offseason, and despite playing a reduced role this year, she has helped keep the Liberty on the heels of the Atlanta Dream, who are in first place in the Eastern Conference.
While Kahleah Copper is averaging 20.1 points a game this season, she’s shooting just 39.5% overall and 25.4% from 3-point range, and both figures are well under par for her.
When Phoenix started the 2026 campaign 2-8, people sounded the alarm. But it then responded with back-to-back wins and has now recorded 3 victories in its last 4 games.
One of those wins was the Wednesday matchup against Indiana, which it won 111-109. In that game, Thomas had 24 points and 8 assists, while Copper poured in 28 points and went 15-of-16 from the free-throw line.
Copper also put in 27 points on 10-of-15 field-goal shooting in the 89-80 win over the Toronto Tempo, a surprisingly competitive expansion team, on Saturday.
While she continues to struggle to hit from downtown, there have been signs that her overall shooting efficiency is returning to normal of late.
