Mercury Cut Ties With Award Winner Ahead of Second 2025 Matchup
The Phoenix Mercury made a change to their roster before their second 2025 regular season game.
The Mercury announced Monday they activated rookie forward Murjanatu Musa to their roster. In a corresponding move, the team also waived fellow forward Alexis Prince.
Advertisement
Prince has spent eight years in professional basketball since she was a third-round pick for the Mercury in 2017. This season, she was returning for her second stint with the team.
In Phoenix's 2025 season opener, Prince scored two points and posted eight rebounds with one assist in 22 minutes on Saturday.
During her senior season with the Baylor Bears, Prince made the All-Big 12 Team. In that campaign, she averaged 12.1 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.
Over five seasons with the Bears, Prince also made the Big-12 All-Freshman Team and Big-12 All-Defense Team.
Former Phoenix Mercury forward Alexis Prince© Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
In 23 WNBA games during her professional career, Prince has posted 2.3 points and 1.3 rebounds per contest.
Advertisement
In addition to the Mercury, Prince has appeared in games for the Atlanta Dream and Chicago Sky.
Musa will have an opportunity to make her WNBA debut when the Mercury play their second game of the 2025 regular season Wednesday night. Phoenix will host the Los Angeles Sparks.
On March 5, Musa signed a training camp contract with Phoenix. Even though the forward missed training camp because she was still playing in a French basketball league, Musa made the final Mercury roster.
A 25-year-old Nigerian native, Musa competed for her home country in a 3x3 basketball tournament in Africa during 2019. The forward also represented Nigeria in FIBA Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournaments in 2020 and 2024.
Related: Dream Throw Shade at Fever as Brittney Griner Shines vs. Caitlin Clark
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indianapolis Star
34 minutes ago
- Indianapolis Star
The Sports Bra, West Coast sports bar known for showing only women's sports, coming to Indy
A West Coast-based sports bar is branching out to Indianapolis, and Hoosiers largely have the Indiana Fever to thank. The Sports Bra, a Portland, Oregon-based sports bar known for exclusively showing women's sports on its TVs, announced in a press release June 3 that it will be opening franchise locations in Indianapolis, Boston, Las Vegas and St. Louis. In the news release, Sports Bra founder and CEO Jenny Nguyen said the four cities' professional women's sports teams and fan bases made them attractive destinations for franchises, forming a "starting five" with the brand's Portland eatery, which opened in 2022. "Together, we're serving fans nationwide who are hungry for spaces that not only champion women's sports, but create a community where everyone feels like they belong," Nguyen said. "There is no better moment than this to open these places." The release did not specify a location for an Indianapolis Sports Bra nor a timeline for opening. Indianapolis found itself at the center of the women sports world last year after the Fever used the first overall pick in the 2024 WNBA draft to select Caitlin Clark, a sharpshooting phenom from Iowa whose ascent to superstardom has coincided with massive jumps in women's sports viewership, revenues and financial investment. The Sports Bra has ridden that wave to expansion; since opening in 2022, the brand has received investments from the 776 Foundation, a fellowship program started by tech entrepreneur and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, who is also the husband of tennis legend Serena Williams. Hoosiers can expect familiar sports bar fare at the Sports Bra like burgers, appetizers and a full bar, with options for a wide variety of dietary preferences including vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, non-alcoholic and dairy-free offerings, according to the news release. While Fever games could take center stage in Indy during the WNBA season, the bar also purports to show effectively every televised women's college sport. Each of the four new Sports Bra locations will be locally owned and operated with food from nearby producers and "support their hometown teams" with decorations and team memorabilia, the release said.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
WNBA Team Makes Final Decision on Undrafted Rookie on Tuesday
WNBA Team Makes Final Decision on Undrafted Rookie on Tuesday originally appeared on Athlon Sports. As of early June, the Phoenix Mercury sit at a promising 5-2, holding the second spot in the fiercely competitive Western Conference, behind only the undefeated Minnesota Lynx (7-0). Advertisement Under second-year head coach Nate Tibbetts, the Mercury have established a defensive identity, forcing 16.3 turnovers per game (the best in the league) and allowing just 75.3 points per game (second-best overall). While offseason additions Alyssa Thomas and Satou Sabally have led the offense with 21.3 and 15.2 points per game, respectively, the team's collective effort has led to Phoenix's early success, highlighted by rookie contributions from Kathryn Westbeld, Monique Akoa Makani and Lexi Held. On Tuesday, the Mercury officially signed rookie Duquesne's Megan McConnell, sister of Indiana Pacers' T.J. McConnell, inking her to a one-year, $66,079 rookie contract, per Spotrac. Over in Pittsburgh, McConnell closed out one of the most decorated careers in Duquesne program history, finishing with 1,795 career points (second in school history). Advertisement McConnell also became Duquesne's all-time leader in assists (660) and steals (370) while her 144 games played rank as the program record, as do her 136 career starts and four career triple-doubles. During the 2024-25 season, McConnell averaged 18.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, 5.0 assists and a nation-leading 4.1 steals per game, earning Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year and All-Conference honors from 2022 to 2025. Phoenix Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts.© Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Despite going undrafted in the 2025 WNBA Draft, McConnell caught the attention of several teams. Shortly after draft night, she accepted a training camp invitation from the Mercury. Now, she's staying in Phoenix on a one-year deal. Advertisement Related: Lexie Hull's Mother Sends Indiana Fever Message After Third Straight Loss Related: Dallas Wings Get Bad News on Monday This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 3, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Caitlin Clark's Former Teammate Makes Personal Announcement on Friday
All eyes are on the Indiana Fever, heading into the WNBA season. Caitlin Clark took over the league last season with the Fever, helping lead the franchise to the postseason while winning the Rookie of the Year and becoming a WNBA All-Star starter. Advertisement Clark leads the team into the new season with first-year head coach Stephanie White and several new stars such as DeWanna Bonner and Sophie Cunningham. As Clark and the Fever prepare for the new season, the Indiana star's former teammate, Katie Lou Samuelson, will be rehabbing from an injury. Lou Samuelson tore her ACL before the WNBA season, which means the veteran could be sidelined until the 2026 season. The Seattle Storm forward posted an update on her injury right before the season tipped off. On Friday, Lou Samuelson announced that she had undergone successful surgery to repair her knee injury. Advertisement "New knee, new me 🫶🏻🦿 Successful Surgery ✅ The real journey begins now 🫱🏻🫲🏼" Lou Samuelson said. View the original article to see embedded media. Lou Samuelson played last season with the Indiana Fever, witnessing Caitlin Clark's rookie year after she was selected with the No. 1 overall pick. Last season with the Fever, Lou Samuelson averaged 4.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game. She has played for five teams throughout her WNBA career, with the Storm being the only organization Lou Samuelson will play for two years. Before this season, Lou Samuelson previously played for Seattle in 2021. Advertisement Throughout her five-year WNBA career, Lou Samuelson posted 5.9 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game. Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22).Jeffrey Becker During Caitlin Clark's rookie season, the Indiana Fever star posted 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 8.4 assists per game. Clark led the WNBA in average assists and led all rookies in scoring. Related: Caitlin Clark Had No Words for Lexie Hull's New Post on Friday Related: Former WNBA Champion Involved in Caitlin Clark Incident Gets Released
