Of late, much of the focus for Alyssa Thomas and the Phoenix Mercury has been on what’s now and what’s next.
The organization added Kelsey Plum in a last-ditch trade deadline effort to try to make an improbable postseason push, ensuring Thomas doesn’t miss the playoffs for the first time in 10 seasons. From Phoenix’s fleeting playoff hopes, the conversation shifts to speculation about Plum’s future in Phoenix, not only whether she’ll recommit but also whether a core of Thomas, Plum and Kahleah Copper
is good enough to contend in today’s WNBA.
However, Friday should be about what was for Thomas. The Mercury visit the Connecticut Sun, meaning this is Thomas’ last game in Uncasville (7:30 p.m. ET, ION).
In the years ahead, when WNBA fans fondly remember the Sun, the first player that will come to mind is Thomas.
AT will be the everlasting epitome of Sun basketball.
Yes, a collection of WNBA legends have suited up for Connecticut, with the likes of Nykesha Sales, Katie Douglas and Taj McWilliams-Franklin introducing elite WNBA basketball to Connecticut before Lindsay Whalen, Tina Charles and Chelsea Gray all began their careers with the Sun. Then, Jonquel Jones, Brionna Jones and DeWanna Bonner emerged as the successful, star-level supporting cast for the Thomas era.
But, it’s AT who embodies the overachievement that allowed a women’s pro basketball team to not just survive, but thrive, in the wilds of central Connecticut for 24 seasons.
Traded to the Sun in a draft night deal in 2014, Thomas spent 11 seasons in Connecticut, rising from a promising prospect to an All-Star to an MVP candidate and one the very best players in league.
Thomas’ game, not dissimilar to Sun and their location, came with limitations, namely the absence of any kind of outside shot. Yet by refusing to make excuses and instead always finding a way to play winning basketball—through her defensive versatility, relentless physicality, elite strength and conditioning, ever-improving playmaking, determined drives, effort on the glass and more—she rendered her own, and, in turn, Connecticut’s, limitations nearly irrelevant.
As Zack Ward has chronicled, Thomas first made the playoffs in 2017, her fourth season, and Connecticut would never miss the postseason again during her tenure. That run included a top three or better finish in the Eastern Conference every year and two trips to the WNBA Finals.
There was a symbiotic relationship between Thomas’ and the Sun’s success.
As the team established themselves as a perennial playoff contender, and more, Thomas began to accumulate accolades. With the Sun, she was a top-five MVP finisher three times, a three-time All-WNBA selection, a six-time All-Defensive nominee and a five-time All-Star.
Through it all, she also imprinted her name in the Sun archive. When Sun the officially sets, AT will be the franchise’s all-time leader in:
- Minutes played (9,754)
- Field goals (1503)
- Free throws (884)
- Rebounds (2395)
- Assists (1462)
- Steals (494)
- Win shares (35.5)
Thomas’ tenure with the Sun also suggests the she and the Mercury might have more in store next year. Sure, she’ll be 35 years old before the season tips off, and Phoenix lacks the assets necessary to build a rotation that elevates a Thomas-Plum-Copper core.
But, if there’s any player who can burst through barriers, bum shoulders and all, it’s Thomas.
In the comments, share your favorite memories of the Thomas era Sun. And, let us know if you expect her final time on the court in Mohegan Sun to end with a Mercury victory.
