PHOENIX — Chants of MVP rang out across a sell-out crowd at PHX Arena on Tuesday as Phoenix Mercury guard Alyssa Thomas approached the free throw line late in the Mercury’s 85-79 win over the Indiana Fever.
Thomas has captured the admiration of the X-factor, the team’s devoted fanbase, that has borne witness to the Mercury’s seamless transition from the Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner era to the new big three of Thomas, Satou Sabally and Kahleah Copper. National recognition, however, hasn’t come as easy.
Although Thomas has been a mainstay in the WNBA MVP conversation for years, finishing top five in voting her last three seasons in Connecticut, the 12-year veteran has yet to break through. MVP is the only accolade missing from her prolific resume, other than a WNBA title.
‘She’s has been overlooked this year,’ Mercury head coach Nate Thibbets said. ‘(Thomas) has probably been overlooked her whole career when it comes to the MVP-type race.’
Thomas has built her strongest case yet in her first season in Phoenix by leading the Mercury to their best winning percentage since the team’s 2014 title run, while averaging a near triple-double. It may be hard to get Thomas to brag or campaign for herself — ‘honestly, I don’t care’ about winning MVP — but her game has done the talking this season and it’s hard to ignore.
PHOENIX MERCURY upend Indiana Fever for fifth straight win as WNBA playoffs loom
MVP will likely be difficult to accomplish. Despite setting a WNBA record for triple-doubles in a season and career, Thomas (+10000) is third in MVP betting odds by a wide margin, trailing Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier (-1200) and Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson (+650). That doesn’t mean Thomas is any less deserving. Here’s why.
Alyssa Thomas is a triple-double machine
Thomas is averaging career-highs in points (16.0), assists (9.2) and field-goal percentage (53.8%) in her first season with the Mercury. Thomas’ scoring production may not be as high as Collier (23.5 points per game) or Wilson (23.4), but that doesn’t discount her ability to directly impact and influence the game. Thomas has generated a league-high 1,319 points this season when you take into account points scored and points assisted.
Let’s not forget about her historic triple-double run. Thomas set a single-season record with seven triple-doubles, with six coming across 10 games. Her seven triple-doubles surpasses the previous record (six) she set in 2023, when she finished second in MVP voting behind New York Liberty center Breanna Stewart despite receiving more first-place votes. She averaged 15.5 points, 9.9 rebounds and 7.9 assists per game that year.
“I don’t know how (Thomas) gets triple-doubles every night,” Mercury center Natasha Mack joked after notching her first career double-double in the Mercury’s 83-79 win over the Chicago Sky on Aug. 28. “That’s hard.”
It is a very hard. In fact, no other player in WNBA history has more than four triple-doubles for their career. Thomas has a staggering 22, including the regular season and playoffs. Thomas said she may be a victim of her own success.
‘People have just have gotten accustomed to seeing me (get triple-doubles), but it’s by no means easy,’ Thomas told USA TODAY Sports. ‘I give a lot of credit to my teammates because without them it doesn’t happen. But for me, I want to impact the game as much as I can on offense and defense, whether it’s rebounding, scoring, assisting. So for me it’s just going out there and giving everything I have each and every night.’
Thomas has set a franchise single-season rebounding record (312) and is 14 assists away from passing Caitlin Clark’s league-wide single-season assist record (337) from 2024. Thomas is also on track to become the first WNBA player to average at least 15 points, eight rebounds, nine assists and one steal while shooting 50% or better from the field. (Only LeBron James, Magic Johnson and Nikola Jokić have accomplished that in the NBA.)
Alyssa Thomas needed ‘new start’ in Phoenix
Thomas was traded to the Mercury in a four-team trade in February following 11 seasons in Connecticut, where she led the Sun to eight consecutive playoff appearances. Thomas has made it as far as the WNBA Finals twice (2019 and 2022), but she fell just short of her ultimate goal.
‘I want to win a championship and I gave everything I had to Connecticut,’ Thomas said. ‘I felt that coming to Phoenix was a new start in an organization that’s known for winning championships.’
‘Offensively, I felt like it was just a perfect fit for me… I want to win a championship.’
Thomas joined a team in transition after Taurasi retired and Griner signed with the Atlanta Dream in free agency. There weren’t many expectations placed on the Mercury amid the team’s changing of guard and some questioned how long it would take the new ‘big three’ to build chemistry. Thomas vowed to uphold the same caliber of play that led to five All-Star bids and two first-team All-WNBA nods in Connecticut.
‘This has been my game my entire career,’ Thomas said.
The Mercury (26-14) have more than answered any questions. The team’s success is due in no small part to Thomas’ ability to create open shots for her teammates, which calls her ‘greatest job.’
“She’s just too tough to guard,” Copper said following the Mercury’s win over the Los Angeles Sparks on Aug. 26, when Thomas recorded her seventh triple-double. “(Thomas) can score. You really want to take away her vision, because she can pass. It’s a matchup problem every night.”
Phoenix Mercury have emerged as playoff contenders
Personal accolades don’t appeal to Thomas, only championships do.
‘I honestly don’t care about people’s opinions or what they think of me. … For me, it’s just about winning the basketball games,’ she said.
Phoenix has done just that. The Mercury are one of five teams that have punched their ticket to the playoffs and they are closing in on homecourt advantage with a 2.5 game advantage over the fifth-place Liberty. (The Mercury have a tiebreaker over the Liberty after winning the regular-season series 3-1.)
‘It’s crunch time. There’s only a few more games left until playoffs, so, these games are about us,’ Thomas said after the Mercury’s win over the Fever, where she finished just one rebound and one assist shy of her eighth triple-double of the season. ‘It’s about coming out, executing our game plan, and like I said, just fine-tuning ourselves leading up into playoffs.’
When asked if the Mercury are underestimated as contenders, Thomas said, ‘We always are.’
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