Kahleah Copper is familiar with the euphoria of winning a WNBA title and the gut-punch of losing one.
Five months after the Phoenix Mercury were eliminated in a four-game sweep by the Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA Finals, the 11-year veteran Copper spoke at the Mercury’s media day on May 6 at Mortgage Matchup Center about her third season in Phoenix.
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She described playing in Phoenix as “paradise,” and was asked by a reporter if this past offseason drove her to return to the Finals.
“I just got swept, right? We just got swept,” Copper bluntly replied. “You would have some motivation, too, right?”
After the sweep, Copper corralled her teammates into a huddle on their home court — coincidentally, the same court she earned the 2021 Finals MVP after leading the Chicago Sky over Phoenix — so the Mercury would be driven by that agony after their unexpected run.
Mercury third-year coach Nate Tibbetts said a return to the Finals is the goal, despite being placed at a modest No. 7 in ESPN’s WNBA preseason power team rankings.
“Our expectations are always going to be bigger than what the national media thinks,” Tibbetts said. “No one expected us to be there last year in the WNBA Finals. I saw this morning some national media picked us to be the seventh-best team in our league.
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“When we look in the mirror, we don’t see that. We see a team that’s playing for a championship.”
Mercury All-Star Alyssa Thomas, now in her second year with the team, and teammate DeWanna Bonner lost to the Aces in the 2022 Finals when they played for the Connecticut Sun. Now they’re ready to prove naysayers wrong again in 2026.
“Nobody expected us to be there,” Thomas said. “We had a lot of people on our team who were first time in the W, first time going through playoffs. I don’t think you can prepare people enough for how hard playoffs is.
“We had a great first two rounds, but Finals is the hardest part of the game, which is why a lot of people don’t make it there.”
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New “life-changing” CBA
The Mercury players have a lot more to smile about financially.
Mercury general manager Nick U’Ren said it’s a “point of pride” being part of the Mercury’s 30th season, but is happier that players are getting “everything they deserve” from the new CBA.
The league salary cap went from $1.5 million in 2025 to $7 million in a new revenue-sharing model in which players receive 20% of gross revenue over the life of the deal. The average player salary jumped from $102,000 to $583,000.
“I have two kids, so just love that they’re going to be taken care of,” Bonner said. “Knowing that I can not really sit back and not work, but also you don’t have to worry. … You put your body on the line, you do a lot of things to make sure you stay here, also to be rewarded for it. It’s amazing to see.”
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Bonner added that she was “emotional” waking up to breaking news stories about players such as the Las Vegas Aces’ four-time MVP A’ja Wilson, Minnesota Lynx’s Napheesa Collier and Dallas Wings’ Arika Ogunbowale signing “life-changing” million-dollar contracts.
Whitcomb injury
Shortly before media day began, the Mercury announced that Whitcomb, one of their top 3-point shooters (36.1% in 2025) will undergo arthroscopic surgery to remove a loose body in her left knee. She will be re-evaluated in four to six weeks.
Tibbetts and Whitcomb explained that it’s not a lingering injury, but she heard an “unusual” pop in her knee during practice earlier this week.
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Tibbetts credited Whitcomb as the “ultimate leader” and a “big part of our culture.” U’Ren said the team is just glad her injury is not worse.
Thomas-Bonner connection, Sabally exit
The Mercury’s former leading scorer, Satou Sabally, joined the New York Liberty during the league’s truncated free agency period in April.
Thomas feels fortunate to be reunited with Bonner for her first full season back in Phoenix, after they were one of the league’s more dynamic tandems in Connecticut from 2020-24.
Bonner was released by Indiana after just nine games played in June 2025. Thomas said she didn’t “feel we go as far without her,” when Bonner averaged 9.1 points and Phoenix’s third-best 6.8 rebounds off the bench during the playoffs.
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Copper called Bonner’s locker room presence a “breath of fresh air.”
Thomas said that the Mercury will “continue to be a defensive team” this season (tied for fourth with New York in defensive rating in 2025). Bonner said playing with Thomas means “you better play defense” with her as one of the league’s best on that end of the floor.
Tips or story ideas? Email sports reporter Dana Scott at dana.scott@azcentral.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @mr_danascott.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Mercury reload from WNBA Finals loss, talk new CBA at 2026 media day
