PHOENIX—Forward Alyssa Thomas is playing at an MVP-caliber level in her first season with the Phoenix Mercury.
This season, Thomas recorded her seventh triple-double, the most in a single season in WNBA history, during the Mercury’s win over the Sparks in Los Angeles. Despite dealing with an illness, she led Phoenix on both ends of the court.
Here’s the details on the “#ATForMVP” cardboards. #WNBA https://t.co/01SKCT2m6s pic.twitter.com/fYbkT6Omsp
— Aya Abdeen (@ayabdeen) August 28, 2025
While Thomas is in the MVP conversation alongside Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier and Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson, it will be fascinating to see which player takes home this year’s award.
Alyssa Thomas is Having an MVP-Caliber Season as a Point-Forward
During Thursday’s victory over the Sky, Thomas led the Mercury to their third straight win with clutch plays in the crunch time. After Chicago guard Kia Nurse tied the game with a jumper, Thomas scored seven of the last 11 points to secure the victory for Phoenix in front of a sellout crowd.
More importantly, Thomas became the first player in WNBA history to record 300 or more assists in a single season for three consecutive years. She also broke Caitlin Clark’s record in 2024 for most points assisted, totaling 759, and tied Sabrina Ionescu’s 2022 record for a streak of 11games with 10 or more points, five or more rebounds, and five or more assists.
“Yeah, we keep talking about (how important Alyssa Thomas is to this Phoenix Mercury team),” Phoenix Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts said Thursday. “Just the plays that she made down the stretch were big time, right? She’s a winner. She cares about winning. She wants to win. And she has won, winning follows her because of her effort and fight and she’s a big, big part of what we’re doing.”
With her contributions on both ends of the court and an average of 15 or more points, nine or more assists, eight or more rebounds, one or more steals, and shooting over 50 percent from the field, Thomas is on pace to join LeBron James, Magic Johnson, and Nikola Jokic as the only NBA/WNBA players to achieve this.
Awesome seeing the Mercury continue to play well! Love watching this team play hard, compete for all 40 minutes, and do all the little things to win. That’s 5 out of 6 wins and our home crowd was amazing as always! pic.twitter.com/APL4hLOA91
— Mat Ishbia (@Mishbia15) August 29, 2025
Diana Taurasi Last Won WNBA MVP in 2009 with the Mercury
Even though Thomas missed five games earlier in the season due to a calf injury, she remains the team’s defensive anchor and primary facilitator.
“A lot of respect to AT (Alyssa Thomas),” Phoenix Mercury guard Kahleah Copper said on August 14. “She doesn’t care about what everyone else does. She does what she does very well. She doesn’t go outside of that, and what she brings for what we already have is amazing. Just that leadership, and I don’t think there’s a better passer than her at her position. So I love playing with her.”
The last time the Phoenix Mercury had a player win MVP honors was Diana Taurasi in 2009, when the team finished 23-11 and won the championship over the Indiana Fever. Additionally, in 2021, center Brittney Griner finished second in MVP voting, the same year Jonquel Jones won.
Lucky Number 7: Alyssa Thomas Sets a Career-High with Seven Triple-Doubles in a Season
On Friday’s home matchup against the Golden Stateno Valkyries, Thomas recorded her sixth triple-double of the season, matching her career best from the 2023 season with the Connecticut Sun. In that game, she posted 13 points, 12 rebounds, and 16 assists, surpassing Cappie Pondexter’s and her own franchise record of 15 assists in a single game.
Not to mention, the Mercury’s fan base, also known as the X-Factor, broke out with MVP chants that erupted in the PHX arena after the public announcer shared Thomas’ stats. Phoenix forward DeWanna Bonner said, “What else more do you need to see?”
— Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) August 27, 2025
“I think it’s the ultimate sign of respect from a fanbase,” Thomas said about the Mercury’s fanbase after Phoenix’s win over the Golden State Valkyries on August 22. “Not too many people can say that they’ve had a crowd cheering for them like that, but I truly appreciate it. I know I’ve got them supporting me 100 percent, and I’m just super grateful for those moments.”
Alyssa Thomas Leads Mercury’s Clutch Wins
Throughout the season, the Mercury have become one of the most clutch teams, thanks to Thomas’ leadership and contributions. Phoenix is ranked second in the league with a 12-6 clutch record, trailing the Las Vegas Aces (14-5), and leads the league in team points per game (9.8) and rebounds per game (3.8).
In a matchup against the Indiana Fever on August 7, Thomas became the first player in WNBA history to record three consecutive triple-doubles.
“I mean, it means everything,” Satou Sabally said after the Mercury’s win over the Sun on August 5. “No one has ever done that before, so she’s literally writing history.”
“And as teammates, we get to be part of it, and we’re just in awe, and it’s just amazing to see someone continue to push the ball hard, be relentless in the pursuit of the game, and really, inspire younger people to do the same. I mean, even in warm-up she’s the first one. So it’s just really great, and it just speaks to her game that she’s well rounded all around.”
Phoenix Mercury Fueled by Alyssa Thomas’ Two-Way Impact
As a member of the 2023 Connecticut Sun, Thomas finished as a runner-up in a tight MVP race that included New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart, the winner, and Las Vegas Aces forward A’ja Wilson.
Thomas’ playmaking, leadership, and defensive prowess are what make the Mercury special. Last year, Phoenix struggled both defensively and on the boards, but this season the team has turned the corner thanks to the addition of Thomas.
The Mercury rank fifth in the league in team rebounds per game with 34.6, third in defensive rating at 99.6, and fourth in NET rating at 4.2. Last season, Phoenix ranked 11th in rebounds per game with 32.3.
“AT (Alyssa Thomas) is an unbelievable player,” Tibbetts said after the Mercury’s win over the Fever on August 5. “She’d probably be the first to tell you or wouldn’t want to talk about it, one way or the other, but I think she’s probably been overlooked her whole career on how great she is. Just the way that she plays is special. She competes on each and every possession defensively.
“She wants to see her teammates succeed the way she passes the ball. I’ve said it, we need to keep winning for her to win the MVP, you have to be one of the better teams in this league. I think we’ve proven that, obviously, there’s other great players, you know, AT is not going to talk about herself in that conversation, but she just brings so much to our group each and every night, and I’m just really happy for her with the performance that she had tonight.”
Can the Phoenix Mercury Win the 2025 WNBA Title?
After a crucial offseason, the Mercury decided to part ways with Griner (who signed with the Atlanta Dream) and Taurasi (retirement), who were considered one of the best duos in franchise history.
In response, Phoenix brought in Sabally and Thomas to pair with Copper, and the team has put together one of its best seasons in franchise history. Their 25 wins are the second-most in franchise history, behind the 29 wins from the 2014 season, when they won the WNBA title.
After winning their last six of seven games and clinching a playoff tiebreaker over the New York Liberty on Saturday, the Mercury sit fourth in the standings with a 25-14 record. WhenThomas, Sabally, and Copper each score ten or more points, Phoenix is 13-2.
“…One stat that I did see today, which I think is awesome, is obviously you know people love points when it comes to MVP, but she leads the league with points and assisted points combined, which I think is a pretty special stat,” Tibbetts said after the Mercury’s win over the Liberty Saturday. “It shows that she’s scoring, maybe not at the highest clip, but her assists kind of take that over. So anyway, I love the AT (Alyssa Thomas) for MVP conversation. I think she deserves it.
“Obviously, there’s other people that are in the mix too…she’s been overlooked probably her whole career, and it’s important for us to keep winning to keep that alive. In my opinion, she deserves all the credit that she’s getting, and I know she doesn’t want to talk about herself, but I know how much she appreciates the X-Factor, and what they bring and the love that they’ve given her each and every night.”
Having reached the playoffs in 11 of the last 12 years, the Mercury aim to maintain their success and move past the first round for the first time since 2021, when they reached the WNBA Finals.
Alyssa Thomas and the Phoenix Mercury will host the Indiana Fever next on Tuesday, September 2, at 10 p.m. ET.
