Vanessa Nygaard was named the Phoenix Mercury‘s head coach in January 2022 with the typical amount of optimism. She couldn’t have known then all that she would face in Phoenix during a 17-31 tenure that ended Sunday when the team announced she had been fired.
Mercury star center Brittney Griner was arrested and jailed in Russia that February and missed the 2022 campaign. Free agent signee Tina Charles left the team in a contract divorce halfway through the season. Star guards Diana Taurasi and Skylar Diggins-Smith appeared to have conflict early on last year, and neither played in the playoffs.
Phoenix, coming off a WNBA Finals appearance in 2021, made the postseason with a 15-21 record and was then swept in the first round by the Las Vegas Aces.
Griner came back to the United States in December, and she has made a successful return this season, being announced as an All-Star starter on Sunday — just after the Mercury sent out news of Nygaard’s departure following a 2-10 start, tied for the franchise’s worst record through 12 games.
Here is a look at what…
