FROM DAY ONE: AN ORAL HISTORY

The Founding of The WNBA and The Phoenix Mercury

Through a series of interviews with key contributors and stakeholders, the Phoenix Mercury have pieced together a look at the early days of the Mercury and the WNBA.

Listed below are the individuals interviewed, their role in the development of the WNBA and Phoenix Mercury in 1997, and where they are today, 20 years later.
The Players Where Were They in 1997 Where Are They in 2016
Val Ackerman Commissioner, WNBA Commissioner, Big EAST Conference
Jerry Colangelo President and Owner, Phoenix Mercury Managing Director, USA Basketball
MJ Hill Mercury X-Factor Member Mercury X-Factor Member
Rebecca Lobo Center, New York Liberty WNBA Broadcaster, ESPN
Ann Meyers Drysdale WNBA Broadcaster, NBC Vice President, Phoenix Mercury
Bridget Pettis Guard, Phoenix Mercury Assistant Coach, Dallas Wings
Jim Pitman Vice President Finance, Phoenix Suns Executive Vice President and CFO, Phoenix Suns; General Manager, Phoenix Mercury
Seth Sulka General Manager, Phoenix Mercury COO and Managing Partner, Bianco Group
Michele Timms Guard, Phoenix Mercury Assistant Coach, Chinese Women's National Team
Rick Welts Chief Marketing Officer and President, NBA Properties President and COO, Golden State Warriors

After discussing the possibility of a new women’s professional basketball league for several years, the NBA Board of Governors approves the concept of the WNBA on April 24, 1996.

JERRY COLANGELO:

I was in New York, in the NBA offices 20 years ago with David Stern, the Commissioner, and Russ Granik, who at that time was the deputy commissioner. We were just sitting talking about some things. David asked me the question, ‘What do you think about developing a league for women.’ I didn’t really hesitate. I said, ‘Let’s do it.’ It was an instinctive response.

RICK WELTS:

In the NBA League office, we had been discussing the possibility (of a new league) for several years. We actually had an internal debate about what would be the best use of our experience and resources and what idea had the best chance of success. We had gone down the road of exploring the creation of a new American football league but eventually decided that wasn’t the place we wanted to invest our time, energy and money.

SETH SULKA:

Jerry said to us, ‘I’ve been working on this with David. We are going to do it and support it. It will not fail.’ I always knew I had Jerry’s full and unconditional support in giving the Mercury its professional due.

ANN MEYERS DRYSDALE:

To understand the origins of the WNBA, I have to go back to 1975. I was a freshman at UCLA and that is when I first heard about the possibility of a women’s professional basketball league. It ended up coming together in 1978 with the Women’s Basketball League.

REBECCA LOBO:

I never thought a United States pro league would be available to me.

COLANGELO:

In my mind, what I was thinking is that it would be basketball year-round—during the NBA offseason. It was good for the arena in terms of events. Secondly it was keeping people’s minds on the game—basketball—all year. I thought there was a lot of value in that. Also, there was enough interest in the women’s game that it was worth doing it.

The league is founded on the heels of the success and popularity of Team USA Women’s Basketball at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.

BRIDGET PETTIS:

The level of women’s basketball was at a peak in 1996. From college players coming up to professional players overseas, the women’s game was of high interest all throughout the world. It was just time.

LOBO:

College basketball was the most popular it had ever been. It was the last year the NCAA Women's Final Four was on CBS and it got huge ratings. People were ready to embrace the sport played on the professional level. Young girls were playing in record numbers and families were looking for an affordable sporting event. Then you had the upcoming 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and the success of the women’s team. There wasn't a better time to launch.

WELTS:

Our USA women’s national basketball team had not fared well in international competition. USA Basketball was certain that we had the best players, but the old system of selecting players a few weeks before big international competitions and having a two-week camp just wasn’t a winning formula. USA Basketball’s mission is to win, and they were seeking a different model leading up to the 1996 Olympic competition in Atlanta. In complete collaboration, USA Basketball assembled a team of the very best players in the women’s game, and the NBA agreed to underwrite their operation for the year leading up to Atlanta.

MEYERS DRYSDALE:

In 1995, Team USA put an All-Star team together coached by Tara Vanderveer—who took a year off from coaching Stanford—that traveled the world and played exhibition games in preparation for the 1996 Olympic Summer Games. Tara really raised the level for USA Basketball with that team. It was kind of WNBAtryouts in a way as a lot of these players hadn’t played in America for a few years and now were coming back.

VAL ACKERMAN:

As the team was touring that winter and into the spring, we had an internal planning committee at the NBA that I was chairing. It was there that we were developing the business plan for the WNBA on a parallel track.

COLANGELO:

There was a window. What I remember is when we discussed the WNBA the very first time, the stars were aligned a little bit. There was an opening for us to follow up with the success of the 1996 Women’s Olympic team that this would be an appropriate time—and it was.

MEYERS DRYSDALE:

In 1996 that women’s team dominated in Atlanta. Katrina McClain and Teresa Edwards were the best players in the world at that time. McClain really dominated there in Atlanta and that allowed Lisa Leslie to take off.

WELTS:

It was the perfect set of circumstances, at least partially by design.

MICHELE TIMMS:

Rumors had been flying around for some months about the start up of the WNBA. If this league was going to start and it was going to boast the best playersaround the world, I definitely wanted in, I had to be there!

MEYERS DRYSDALE:

That 1996 Women’s Olympic team became like a Women’s Dream Team and at that point the NBA really started putting the groundwork together for a WNBA.

ACKERMAN:

By the time Atlanta rolled around, they had already played 52 games. That gave us ample opportunity to again see what kind of support the team team could garner on television, in arena and from corporate sponsors. Because the response was so positive, that helped reinforce our decision to come out of Atlanta to ready launch the league. It could not have been a better launching pad.

WELTS:

The US women won the gold medal and were a tremendous source of excitement and pride for the entire country. The American women excelled in many sports in those Olympics, and the public had a heightened appreciation for women’s basketball. That set a perfect stage for the launch of the WNBA.

TIMMS:

The timing of the start of the league was perfectly brilliant, running off the back of a very successful 1996 Olympics where once again the US won gold, this time in their own back yard. A few imports like myself who played at the Olympics were thrown into the equation to give it an International flavor but not too many because it was important in the first few years to slowly bleed the foreign component into the league.

The new league would bring together women who had been playing professionally overseas for years—some of whom were recognizable from the Olympics—with rising stars graduating the college ranks, creating a new destination league for the best in the world.

PETTIS:

I first heard of the WNBA when I was playing professionally overseas. Word spread quickly about the league and we were all talking about it and excited.

LOBO:

I was playing with the National Team while we trained for the Olympics. People at the NBA told us that the WNBA was going to be started as well. I was thrilled!

MEYERS DRYSDALE:

During that tour of the 1996 National Team, they were kind of scouting cities to see what would be good candidate for a WNBA team.

MJ HILL:

Undoubtedly the success of the USA Women's basketball team in Atlanta helped build excitement for what was ahead with the WNBA. After that, everything just steamrolled.

Former NBA Commissioner David Stern is the new league’s biggest proponent from Day 1. Current NBA Commissioner Adam Silver writes the business plan. Senior league executives Val Ackerman, who would eventually serve as the first president of the WNBA, and Rick Welts lead the charge with everything else. It was Jerry Colangelo who brought the league to Phoenix.

WELTS:

We spent a lot of time discussing the relative merits of starting either a women’s basketball league, or another men’s basketball league that wouldshowcase talent not quite ready for the NBA level—eventually that was undertaken by the NBA and evolved into today’s D-League. The idea we kept coming backto was a women’s professional basketball league. The ABL was already in existence, but we felt we could provide a strong structure and support and give a women’s league a real chance for success.

COLANGELO:

Philosophically, I believed anything we got ourselves involved in, we were darn sure to make sure it succeeded to the best of our ability. In all areas, the Mercury took a lead within the league to make sure it was successful. We participated in a big way and I think it paid off.

ACKERMAN:

Jerry Colangelo stepped up. He and David had a terrific working relationship. As David was going about the job of lining up the charter franchises, the relationship between Jerry and David was important. Jerry’s openness in stepping up to this major initiative of the NBA really came into play.

WELTS:

Credit Jerry Colangelo. No owner ever supported a league more completely than Jerry supported the NBA. Initially, because the launch of the WNBA was important to the NBA, it was important to him. As he learned more about it, he became convinced that we had a great idea and that Phoenix should be one of the original franchises. He was committed to making sure it was given the time and attention that
it needed to grow.

COLANGELO:

Rick Welts—his story is kind of legendary. Starting out as a ball boy in Seattle and working his way up to develop what he did with the NBA marketing plan—basically it started almost from zero—and using those marketing skills to develop the WNBA as well. I give him a lot of credit for all the things he initiated in helping the success of the league while he was there.

WELTS:

Any league wants to place its teams in the hands of great operators, and the track record of the Suns organization was second to none. It was a no-brainer.

The Phoenix WNBA team is named the Mercury. Legend Cheryl Miller is named the head coach and general manager. Michele Timms and Jennifer Gillom are allocated to the Mercury in January 1997. Bridget Pettis is the team’s first draft selection in April of 1997.

SULKA:

We had a four year start at the building running other events so we had the infrastructure in place—ticket sales, marketing, sponsorships, operations—to ensure we would succeed at taking on another thing in the organization. We had the Suns, but also oversaw and operated concerts, the Arizona Rattlers, World Team Tennis and boxing exhibitions. We were used to hosting and operating many successful events year-round. That is why when Jerry came to us with the idea and the plan, we were ready to go.

PETTIS:

I always knew it was fate that I would end up in Phoenix. I went to Junior College at Central Arizona College and the first time I went to Phoenix, I remember saying to myself that one day I was going to live there. I was playing overseas in Italy at the time and I remember Renee Brown calling me atabout one in the morning to tell me I was selected by Phoenix. I cried, got on my knees and thanked God. It was a dream!

TIMMS:

My only knowledge of Phoenix prior to being selected to play in the inaugural season was that it was in the desert in the USA.

SULKA:

We got lucky to get our first three players—Michele Timms, Jennifer Gillom and Bridget Pettis—and coach Cheryl Miller because not only did they have great personalities that allowed us to connect with fans, but they also made us competitive on the court. We really connected with the players.

TIMMS:

I was on the road with my club team in Europe BTV WUPPERTAL (Germany) and I knew the WNBA, general managers and coaches were going to draft the first two players for each of the original teams. I knew I was in that first group of 16 players who were going to be placed as franchise players but I had no idea where. When I received that phone call in the early hours of the morning I was very excited to be on a conference call with the legendary Mr. Colangelo—who later went on to become very good friends of my family. Seth Sulka and coach Cheryl Miller, who I had heard about because she was touted as the best player the United States had ever produced, were also on the call. It was quite overwhelming. I was incredibly excited but none moreso when I heard I would be joining forces with Jennifer Gillom, who in my opinion, went on to become the greatest clutch player in WNBA history. If I had a dollar for every big shot she made over those first four or five years, I would be a very rich person.

HILL:

I was so grateful that we had a team in Phoenix. I felt a strong sense of community and wanted to support the league financially to invest in its success. The best way I knew was to get season tickets. Since then, I have upgraded to floor seats. It was my way of increasing my investment.

The league is set to debut in 1997. Immediately there is a connection between the city of Phoenix and the Mercury.

WELTS:

It was a historic step for women’s sports and the first time one of the major US men’s sports leagues had made such a commitment and investment in women’s sports. The athletes themselves were so committed and so we felt the time had come to create something more important and lasting than what had come before.

MEYERS DRYSDALE:

The players who had played professionally in Europe who were coming back to play here for the WNBA were thrilled. They knew with the NBA involved it had credibility, sponsors, they were going to come back and play in front of their friends and family. They got involved in their communities right away. It was really exciting in each of these cities that had teams.

TIMMS:

The 'We Got Next' catch cry leading into our first season was perfect because we really had next! The next big thing to hit the sporting landscape in the US and the World. It was exciting, refreshing, demanding, fun and because it was engineered to last it was very careful not to fall into the trap of paying players too much and give it a chance to grow.

COLANGELO:

You had the right people leading the charge at the NBA to make the WNBA a success. The NBA has had a terrific track record in terms of taking on things other than the ‘main act.’ It was another something for everyone to ‘bite off’ when you start a new league.

WELTS:

Everyone who worked on the launch felt there was something really important and especially rewarding that came from our involvement. We were proud that the NBA was approaching this in such a serious way.

MEYERS DRYSDALE:

The fact that there were three television networks—NBC, ESPN and Lifetime—involved that first year was really exciting. That was basically Reggie Miller’s introduction to broadcasting. He called those early games on Lifetime network with Michele Tafoya.

ACKERMAN:

We would not have launched the league without television support. It was that important in terms of exposure, credibility and revenue. It was the reason we elected to play in the summer months. The kind of television windows that were available to us from those three networks would not have been available during the traditional basketball season.

MEYERS DRYSDALE:

The support of David Stern and Adam Silver early on was so important but people like Val Ackerman, Carol Blazejowski, Renee Brown, Donna Orender—who I played with in the WBL—were so important to the development and success of the league.

TIMMS:

Those first few years were magical, for the first time in my career I got a look at how the NBA guys or the Aussie Rule Footballers got to enjoy the Hollywood-style stardom. From screaming fans at airports to mad crushes at shopping center promotions, free meals, it really was a life experience I wasmore than happy to have experienced.

LOBO:

LOBO: The Liberty held their training camp at the Reebok Club on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. We would run into Jerry Seinfeld or Mark Wahlberg or Shaquille O’Neal on our way from the locker room to the court. Many of us were being treated like professional athletes for the first time and it was exciting and fun. Training camp was also very competitive on the court. Nancy Darsch was our coach and she ran practices like she had when she was at Ohio State. They were intense and focused.

MEYERS DRYSDALE:

Nancy Darsch was a big name in the women’s college basketball world. Van Chancellor, another coach in the first year of the league, was not really known outside the SEC at the time, but really did a lot to grow the league. He would go on airplanes and say ‘I’m Van Chancellor, “The Candyman,” come see us play!’ He’d throw out candy to people on the plane. He was a salesman, he was great. And certainly those early teams of his in Houston were great.

SULKA:

We did hundreds of community appearances before we even played a game in Phoenix. There really was no connection with the players and the community to start, but we did a ton of outreach and their personalities really came through and then we were rolling. It started with Cheryl Miller and the players followed her lead.

TIMMS:

Fans were coming to games with the same haircut as me, it was very exciting and surreal. It was a very special time to be involved in the league. Everything was new and fresh, the Phoenix community really supported us and we gave all we had for them.

HILL:

It was all very exciting. I vividly remember the Mercury exhibition game at Arizona State University. If anyone had doubts whether Phoenix would support their team, they were laid aside that day.

The league officially tips off June 21, 1997, as New York defeats Los Angeles. The Mercury debut the next day with a victory over Charlotte in front of a sold-out crowd at then-America West Arena in Phoenix.

MEYERS DRYSDALE:

I was working for NBC and we had the first game in Los Angeles between the Sparks and New York Liberty. NBC put together an all-women crew for the game. Hannah Storm and I called that first WNBA game between the Liberty and Sparks. The producer and director were women and Hannah and I called that first game. We felt like a team on that broadcast.

LOBO:

I remember seeing a huge billboard with me and Lisa Leslie on it while we were driving in Los Angeles (to the game).

WELTS:

The building was absolutely electric in Los Angeles. We all knew that whatever happened in the future, history was being made that day.

LOBO:

The atmosphere was really amazing. There was an incredible excitement but also tons of nerves from players on both sides.

MEYERS DRYSDALE:

We had to fly out right after that game to get to Phoenix for the first game here in Phoenix because we broadcast that game for NBC as well. It was incredible here. The fans were great. We really didn’t know what to expect fan-wise. It was full here (in Phoenix) and the excitement the fans showed for the Mercury was great. Especially with players the fans might not have been familiar with. There was such a buzz, people wanted it.

TIMMS:

The first game in Phoenix seemed to take ages to get there, but when it did, it definitely went off with a bang heard all around the world.

ACKERMAN:

Attending the first Mercury game with over 14,000 people in the building was really a terrific sight.

COLANGELO:

The overall atmosphere (for the first game in Phoenix) and the enthusiasm was so exciting—the buildup, everything. Cheryl Miller was the perfect person to launch the franchise—without a question. She played to the crowd with her actions and showed great enthusiasm every game.

SULKA:

You cannot discount or underestimate the role that Cheryl played in creating the atmosphere we had in the building that first game. Bridget Pettis had great energy, Jennifer Gillom could flat out play, Michele Timms had a good mix of personality and energy, but everything really came together and was enhanced with Cheryl. She was the fluid that turned flames into an inferno.

TIMMS:

I never imagined in my wildest dreams the sellout crowd and the emotion surrounding the enormity of that first game for us. I definitely had nerves knowing special and defining in the landscape of basketball in the United States and the world. I remember getting a little emotional at the start of the game because I knew very well what this meant.

Bridget Pettis makes the first basket in Mercury history. Even from the sideline, though, Cheryl Miller is the star of the show and her energy endears her to fans from Day 1.

PETTIS:

That first game was an experience I could never forget. I felt like I had some kind of awakening.

HILL:

The excitement and sheer joy in the arena was palpable. Gladys Knight sang the national anthem. The place was packed!

PETTIS:

I had Nancy Lieberman on one side of me and Cheryl Miller on the other side of me (during the anthem) along with a sold out building. I remember thinking ‘My family is watching this!’ And I cried.

TIMMS:

I have to be honest in that I really didn't know who Gladys Knight was! All I knew was that everyone was going off because she was singing the anthem. Of course I played along and then later after the game listened to her music and had a true understanding of the enormity of her playing the anthem in the opening game.

SULKA:

We had practices and training camp, but that first game, you could really see a bond form between Cheryl and her players and Cheryl and the fans.

TIMMS:

The arena was electric that opening night. The crowd support was amazing, every play was appreciated, this was something I was definitely not used to. Having played in Europe and Australia, the crowds were healthy but never of the magnitude and noise the X-Factor became famous for.

PETTIS:

I got the ball at the top of the key and I felt like the rim was as wide as the ocean. I remember the nerves shooting through me and the excitement I felt when used to just play on the playground. I let the shot go and knew right away that not only the shot was going to be good, but everything was good. It was pure adrenaline.

TIMMS:

I must admit I never thought about any of that stuff until I saw everyone's reaction during the game. I was just glad we had scored! I couldn't have been happier for someone as she (Pettis) embodied team values. Bridget was the glue of our team, she was the one that in the face of adversity would keep things in perspective, every team needs a Bridget Pettis. She was the one who always made you laugh even when you felt like crying.

MEYERS DRYSDALE:

You look at what Jennifer Gillom, Bridget Pettis and Cheryl Miller did here in Phoenix. Cheryl was great, getting up on the table, yelling and dancing after games. Those early players should get a lot of credit for growing the league.

HILL:

Cheryl had a huge personality and really ignited the fans.

COLANGELO:

Cheryl herself had a great following, she was full of enthusiasm. She was the right coach to lead the march. We had a lot of excitement in the building each game and a lot of that was thanks to her. Obviously it got off to a great start for us on and off the court.

HILL:

When Cheryl Miller grabbed the microphone and addressed the crowd after an exciting finish that first game, the fans responded joyfully.

SULKA:

We knew we had to bring the entertainment factor to the fans and we really wanted to put a show on for them and make our games an event. Cheryl was involved in everything we did—including game ops—but when she grabbed the mic, thanks the crowd and danced after that first game, it was off the script. It was all her, we couldn’t have planned for that.

HILL:

It became a regular event. We see it in many sports today, but it all started with Cheryl. Her unbridled passion for the game was infectious.

SULKA:

Something like that had never really happened. Today, it happens all over the WNBA—and often in other sports leagues—after every game where a player or coach addresses the crowd. It really helped to make that connection between the team and the fans. That was something that was really important to us and one reason the team had so much success building a loyal fan base.

TIMMS:

When Cheryl Miller, Bridget Pettis and Jennifer Gillom would get up and do a dance at the end of the game, that was something that epitomized the sense offamily and connection between the team and supporters.

HILL:

At first I wondered if we'd have trouble getting fans. But after the exhibition game and the first several regular season games, there was no doubt that a lot of people were thrilled about this historic event.

SULKA:

There was no question that other teams wanted to replicate the environment that we created at games in Phoenix.

TIMMS:

The actual game day presentation was the best I had ever seen. The fact it wasn't just the game, it was two hours of non-stop partying and enjoyment for all there. A definite bang for your buck! It was all amazing and something I had never experienced.

As with any undertaking of this magnitude, the league enjoys peaks and endures valleys marching its way to the 20-year milestone. One of the main constants throughout the process: Phoenix and the Mercury. One of the most important successes: the bond formed with fans of all ages and backgrounds, still strong today.

COLANGELO:

With the Mercury, it was kind of learning as we went—this was a little different market. We developed Mercury fans, their interests were a little different than Suns fans, so we made those adjustments in how we sell, market and promote. It has been a very positive experience for our city and the Suns ownership. We have been probably as stable as any franchise in the history of the league.

WELTS:

There will always be doubters when people try to do great things that haven’t been done before. People doubted that the NBA would be committed in the long run and of course the league has. People doubted that the style of the women’s game would resonate with “true” basketball fans, and they didn’t see that the fundamentals of the women’s game are so skilled and solid that people would appreciate that basketball doesn’t have to be played above the rim to be beautiful.

PETTIS:

I remember hearing lots of talk about the league not lasting, but we are here now and we are strong.

LOBO:

I never doubted that it would succeed. I've known Adam Silver for a long time and have always trusted that he could help make the W a success. He has been a big part of it since the beginning.

COLANGELO:

The Suns stayed the course with the Mercury through some of the growth pains of starting a new league. Some bailed. That was never a consideration with us. We felt an obligation to the fans who had become fans of the team and then, you want to win, be successful and fill the seats.

TIMMS:

I think you must pay homage to the engineers behind the league. Like I said before, the league continues to be seen as the toughest league in the world with the best players playing or hoping to play in it. Some players complained about the amount of money they were getting paid and I always remind them back then and now that this league isn't about us, it's about the future. Go make your big bucks overseas and play in the WNBA for the honor, not the money. As a mother I want this league around forever so my child and her children get a chance to play in it, or seek inspiration and role models from those who do play in it.

MEYERS DRYSDALE:

There will always be ups and downs. We are light years ahead of where the NBA was at 20 years but the hard part is we get compared to the NBA as it stands today.

PETTIS:

The talent level continues to flow in year after year. The players are getting stronger and more talented. We are getting better players from college and the International game, and that is because the WNBA has been so successful.

WELTS:

Today’s WNBA rosters are filled with such a higher level of skilled players than those when we launched the league. More teams have better players, and the game continues to get better. There was probably a time, early in the league, when our talent was spread too thin, or that we had too many teams. Players coming into the league today don’t remember a time when there wasn’t a WNBA. They grew up with basketball being a bigger part of their lives, and the number of athletes interested in playing the sport means the college game and gotten better, and the WNBA has evolved into a showcase for the best of the best.

MEYERS DRYSDALE:

I’ve been so blessed to be a part of this league. Seeing where we have come from with the WBL in the late-70s to what we have built today is so great. Winning three championships have been amazing, being able to share this with my kids has been great, the relationships I have built. The league is truly special and will continue to make memories for years.

WELTS:

Sometime in that first season I arrived early to watch a game at Madison Square Garden. I noticed a group of kids grouped courtside who had arrived early to try and get an autograph of the Liberty’s Rebecca Lobo. It took me awhile to notice that there was as many little boys there as there were girls. Just kids trying to get an autograph of their sports hero. I remember smiling and thinking that this WNBA is really changing the world of sports, and changing it for the better.

ACKERMAN:

There are so many memories. Every arena was a story, every team, every interaction with a player or coach was a personal memory for me. One that stands outwas the very first Liberty game at Madison Square Garden and attending that game and sitting with David Stern. He’s not often speechless, even he was speechless at that first game. He was amazed at the reception that first game.

LOBO:

The first WNBA Championship game is a great memory for me. Even though we lost, the environment in Houston was amazing. My family was at the game, and I was filled with a belief that I would spend the rest of my career playing in the championship every year. I knew it was the start of something special. It was.

COLANGELO:

Whenever one looks at an individual’s career or the success or failure of a business or entity, the proof of the pudding is can you sustain success for a period of time. The league had its challenges but survived those challenges and solidified as a league and the franchises solidified as well. I think that is the reason the league has been successful. The proof of the pudding is longevity.

ACKERMAN:

This league in its 20th season reinforces that it is a league of their own in women’s professional sports. I’m happy to see the improvement in the quality of play. How the league has come so far in just the skill level of the players, which was good to begin with, but is so much better. You have young girls who grew up watching WNBA players who are now in the league. These girls coming in the league now have those players as an aspiration. It’s very exciting. For that and other reasons, the league will continue to grow.

WELTS:

That confidence came from being around the athletes. No one who has the privilege of being around these players can come away without being certain that this is a league and a sport that is destined for success. The path these players take to practice their skill professionally is so different than the men’s game, and the stories are so compelling. They are winners and so is their league.

ACKERMAN:

It is the longest running women’s professional team sport in history. There were many naysayers who said it would be gone in a year or two. It’s a game many young girls play—it is the most popular women’s college sport. It is an international game.

Of course, nothing is a catalyst for success like having the greatest player in the world on your roster.

LOBO:

I admire what Elena Delle Donne does at her size—we are about the same height. I love watching Maya Moore make the game look so easy. But, come playoff time, there is no one I appreciate more than Diana Taurasi. She just knows how to win.

PETTIS:

When I saw Diana play for the first time, I saw something I had never seen before with my own eyes. I have the most respect for her game and what she gives to this league and the Mercury. She has shown to me and everyone why she really is a champion. I have never seen someone so focused and committed to not only give her best, but also get the best out of everyone around her. She is a winner.

TIMMS:

Diana is a leader, who demands greatness from her teammates which drives them to become better. She is very smart and reads players so well it enables her to be technically floored, but still an effective defender. She is, without a doubt, my favorite player in the league.

COLANGELO:

Drafting Diana Taurasi was a neat thing because she was considered the best player coming out by far coming out in the draft. She is now recognized as one of the greatest players ever to play in the WNBA and some people put her at number one. Whether she is one, three or five, it doesn’t matter; she’s had an incredible career which is going to continue here in Phoenix.

WELTS:

The closest thing to Diana in the men’s game is Magic Johnson. They share so many things - a pure joy for playing the game that translates to everyone who watches; an unmatched competitive spirit; and the ability to lead their teams to championships.

COLANGELO:

I knew Diana identified herself as Argentinian with her family being from Argentina, but of course ‘Taurasi’ is an Italian name. When I spoke to her the first time, I told her the reason we took her was because she was Italian. She said, ‘No, I’m Argentinian!’ I said, ‘But you are of Italian descent!’ From that moment on she always identified herself as Italian to me.

HILL:

There are so many, but there is only one ‘Dee.’ She has worked hard to grow her game and become a better player. It's very obvious the passion that she has for the game. That passion is what make the WNBA so great, the passion of the players and the fans.

The three-time champion Mercury open the 20th season in league and franchise history on Saturday, May 14 in Minnesota. The 2016 Fry’s Food Stores Home Opener is Friday, May 20 at Talking Stick Resort Arena.