The Phoenix Mercury announced two major injuries to rookie players on Thursday. Guard Lexi Held, who has become a key rotation player — averaging 8.7 points in 20.7 minutes per night — suffered a partially collapsed lung last Thursday. Held’s timeline to return to play has not yet been revealed.
Phoenix Mercury announce devastating injury news, new signing
Rookie standout Lexi Held suffered a partially collapsed lung, while Megan McConnell has been waived after fracturing her knee.
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Noa Dalzell is a senior writer covering the WNBA and all of women’s basketball for Breakaway, SB Nation’s women’s sports vertical, as well as the Celtics for CelticsBlog.
The injury was suffered in a game against the New York Liberty last Thursday.
The Mercury waived Megan McConnell and signed Kiana Williams
Undrafted rookie Megan McConnell, meanwhile, has been waived after suffering a knee injury in her debut game on May 30th. McConnell suffered a tibial plateau fracture in her right knee, and the team will continue to assist in her rehabilitation, per an official press release.
In turn, the Mercury have signed former Stanford star Kiana Williams. Williams, who was selected 18th overall by the Storm in the 2021 WNBA Draft, has appeared in 27 career games across three WNBA seasons.
She won a 2021 NCAA Championship with Stanford and graduated as the program’s all-time leader in three-pointers made (311).
Whether the Mercury will also sign veteran wing DeWanna Bonner remains to be seen; Bonner was waived by the Indiana Fever earlier this week and is reportedly interested in signing with Phoenix, where her fiancé, Alyssa Thomas, currently plays.
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