Without its three biggest stars and owning the WNBAβs worst record so far this season, the Phoenix Mercury (2-9) turned to a Tucson favorite for insurance Wednesday, signing Arizona great Sam Thomas to an injury replacement contract ahead of the Mercury's matinee matchup with defending champion Las Vegas.
Thomas played 11 minutes off the bench in a 99-79 win by the league-best Aces (11-1) at Footprint Center in Phoenix.Β
Thomas, who spent her rookie season with the Mercury in 2022 after serving as a five-year catalyst and Final Four linchpin with the Wildcats, prepped for the 2023 campaign with Phoenix, but was a training camp roster cut last month.
Mercury forward Sam Thomas (14) hauls in a pass while working the perimeter against the Atlanta Dream in the first quarter of their WNBA game at Footprint Center, Phoenix, Ariz., June 9, 2022.
Leading scorers Brittney Griner (hip) (20.1 points per game) and Diana Taurasi (hamstring) (15.3) were both ruled for the third straight game Wednesday.
Mercury guard Skylar Diggins-Smith, a first-team all-WNBA selection a year ago, has also been away from the court so far this season on maternity leave.
That opened the door for Thomas this week, who first signed with the Mercury prior to last season as an undrafted free agent. As a WNBA rookie, Thomas appeared in 24 of Phoenixβs 35 regular season matchups, averaging just shy of five minutes per outing, with 0.4 points 0.1 rebounds, 0.3 steals and 0.3 assists per game.
Former Arizona Wildcat player Sam Thomas, center, enjoys the game from floor seats at McKale Center on Feb. 12, 2023. Arizona beat Cal, 80-57.
Playing for UA coach Adia Barnes in Tucson, Thomas was an All-Pac-12 selection in 2021, helping lead the Wildcats to the programβs first ever Final Four and national championship game berth.
She bookended that historic season with honorable mention all-conference nods in 2020 and 2022. Thomas was also a three-time All-Pac-12 defensive selection.
Phoenix Mercury forward Sam Thomas, left, runs behind the defense of former Arizona teammate and current Atlanta Dream guard Aari McDonald in the second quarter of their WNBA game at Footprint Center on June 9, 2022.
Brittney Griner, the WNBA player once held in Russia for nearly 10 months on drug-related charges, spoke in Phoenix Thursday where she continues to to map her return to the court with the Phoenix Mercury. Griner was arrested last year at the airport in Moscow on drug-related charges and detained for nearly 10 months, much of that time in prison. Her plight unfolded at the same time Russia invaded Ukraine and further heightened tensions between Russia and the U.S., ending only after she was freed in exchange for the notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
