Mercury Start The Season Slowly With Goal Of Winning The WNBA Title

BusinessSportsMoneyMercury Start The Season Slowly With Goal Of Winning The WNBA TitleByBarry M. Bloom,Senior Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Boomskie on BaseballFollow AuthorMay 13, 2026, 11:18pm EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.DeWanna Bonner is the elder stateswoman of the Phoenix Mercury as at 38 she's back for her 17th WNBA season. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)Getty ImagesPHOENIX – The Mercury’s 30th season began with more of a whimper than a bang on Tuesday night at Mortgage Matchup Center. There was pomp and circumstance and a pregame introduction for the ages of this year’s roster.But sometimes the staging is better than the game and that turned out to be the case. Playing their third contest in four nights to open the schedule, the Mercury withered at the end with an 88-84 loss to the Minnesota Lynx, a hot playoff rival the past two years.But there was nothing to be despondent about as the raucous sellout crowd of 10,826 acknowledged. For the most part, the Mercury played upbeat and entertaining basketball despite having an incomplete roster, as several players have just returned from or are still immersed in international play.How long will it take to get the team together?“That’s a very good question,” third-year Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts said during his postgame media session. “This is the first time we’ve come out of camp and did not have everyone. I don’t think we’re there. I didn’t get that feeling tonight. It might just take us a little bit longer to find out who we are because we’ve had quite a bit of change in the last week.”Mercury Are Seeking Their Fourth WNBA TitleThe goal, of course, is to get back to the WNBA Finals and win this time around. Last year, the Mercury surprised by vanquishing the Liberty and Lynx in the opening rounds before the Aces swept them in the Finals, the third title for L...