It’s a big week for the McConnell family; Pacers guard TJ McConnell is headed to the NBA Finals, and just a few states away, his sister, Megan McConnell, is fresh off her WNBA debut.
Pacers and Mercury guards form newest brother-sister duo across NBA and WNBA
Megan McConnell, sister of Pacers guard TJ McConnell, made her WNBA debut on Monday after signing a rest-of-season contract with the Phoenix Mercury.
Photo by David Berding/Getty Images
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.
Megan, who was on the Phoenix Mercury training camp roster after going undrafted, signed a rest-of-season contract
She made her WNBA debut on Tuesday, racking up 3 points and 3 assists in 13 minutes before injuring her knee. She’s already been ruled out for Thursday’s game against the Golden State Valkyries.
Megan McConnell’s journey from Duquesne University to the Phoenix Mercury
Megan McConnell is one of the great guards in Duquesne women’s basketball. In her senior season, she averaged 18.4 points on 46.9% shooting, 7.2 rebounds, and 5 assists. She’s the second all-time scorer in program history.
In a press release from Duquesne, McConnell expressed her excitement when she first learned she had been invited to training.
“Honestly, I couldn’t believe it when I got that call from my agent,” McConnell said. “He said that Phoenix was excited about me and that they wanted to offer me to a training camp, and I accepted it. And I just couldn’t be happier. I just can’t wait to go there and prove myself that I belong there.”
McConnell was waived at the end of training camp, but the Mercury officially signed her to a roster spot on Tuesday.
“Meg had worked incredibly hard to play in the WNBA,” said Duquense head coach Dan Burt, per Duquesne. “This roster spot is well earned. So happy for such an awesome young woman.”
Meanwhile, TJ McConnell makes his NBA Finals debut on Thursday
While 23-year-old Megan McConnell acclimates to the WNBA, her older brother plays in the Finals for the first time on Thursday when the Pacers visit the Oklahoma City Thunder.
TJ McConnell has been an instrumental part of the Pacers’ success. The 33-year-old guard averaged 9.1 points on 51.9% shooting alongside 4.4 assists in the regular season, spearheading the team’s bench unit.
He recorded double-digit scoring games in three Eastern Conference Finals games and is averaging 8.4 points per game this postseason.
Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
The McConnell family comes from a long line of basketball players; Suzie McConnell, the siblings’ aunt, is a WNBA legend in the Basketball Hall of Fame. Now, Megan McConnell is the latest to carry that family legacy.
Other WNBA-NBA sibling duos
As it currently stands, the McConnells are one of two brother-sister duo in the NBA and WNBA, with Amir and Nia Coffey being the other. But, in recent years, there have been several other sibling duos who have established themselves as professional basketball players in the U.S.
The Coopers: Te’a Cooper played for the Los Angeles Sparks in 2020 and 2021, while her brother, Sharife Cooper, played for the Atlanta Hawks in 2021.
The Parkers: WNBA legend Candace Parker played in the league from 2008 to 2023, while her brother, Anthony, played 9 seasons in the NBA.
The Coffeys: Clippers guard Amir Coffey just finished his fifth season in the NBA, while his sister, Nia Coffey, currently plays for the Atlanta Dream.
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