Phoenix Mercury sign veteran guard in full-circle moment

Alexis Prince was drafted by Phoenix Mercury in the third round of 2017 after a successful college career at Baylor University.

But like most of the third round picks in the WNBAPrince couldn't find a long-term home in the league. She appeared in almost half of Mercury's games during her rookie season, 7.2 minutes per night, in a paired game for the Atlanta Dream the following year, then went abroad and signed with Chicago Sky in 2020.

Prince, now 31, has played for many overseas teams, including French club Tarbes Guespe Bigor (2018-19), Turkish club Hathespole (2020-23), Spanish club CB Avenida (2023-24), and Israeli club Eritoul Lamra (2024).

On Thursday, Mercury announced that Prince had signed a training camp contract with his team. That means that the ex-Baylor standout is going to the WNBA once more. It's been five years since she last appeared in the WNBA games – a 9 minute outing in the 2020 Sky Game – training camp contact is not guaranteed. But it shows the guard's unwavering desire to find a spot in the most competitive leagues of women's basketball.

What Alexis Prince can bring to the WNBA team

At 6'2, Prince is a bucket getter that was extremely efficient in Israel this winter. Prince averages 19.3 points per game with 52.4% shooting. She also averages 8.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 36.9% per block.

Currently, Mercury has 16 players with training camp contracts, so at least four will be cut before the season's chipoffs. If Prince can show that he can score at a high level and consistently adhere to his college approach, he can realize that he is earning one of those spots.

Mercury will be focusing on a new trio of Alyssa Thomas, Carly Copper and Satu Sabury next season. All three players can score at a high level and should be able to form a scary lineup where they can compete with the best in their best.

Photo by Kate Frese/Nbae via Getty Images

But basketball is a 5-on-5 game, and around Thomas, Copper and Sabury, Phoenix has to resort to a long list of bench players. Some include former Dallas Wings Centre Kalani Brown, Turkish security guard Sevenji Uzun, and Australian security guard Sami Whitcom, but they have already proven WNBA experience.

But for many, training camp is an opportunity to show that they have what they need to compete in the best league in women's basketball for teams who want to compete for the championship. Prince, who began his professional career in Phoenix a few years ago, hopes that she will show that it has what it needs.