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PHOENIX — The Phoenix Mercury will tip off the 2026 WNBA season without an experienced guard that was pivotal in the team's run to the WNBA Finals last year.
Sami Whitcomb is expected to miss at least four to six weeks as she's set to undergo an arthroscopy Thursday to remove a loose body in her left knee, the team announced on Wednesday. Whitcomb revealed that the injury happened after she came down on a rebound attempt and "felt something" in her knee during practice.
"It was unusual for me. So I just subbed myself off and went and saw the doctor," Whitcomb recalled Wednesday.
Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts said he witnessed the whole thing go down and instantly knew something was wrong after making eye contact with Whitcomb upon landing.
"I think we're the only two that kind of saw the situation that happened in practice. I was standing under a basket. (Whitcomb) kind of went for a rebound and landed and she just kind of made a face," Tibbetts recalled Wednesday during the Mercury's media day. "I looked at her and, 'Hey, you all right?' She's like, 'I don't know.'"
Whitcomb's injury happened after the Mercury's two preseason wins, where she averaged 7.5 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists across both wins over the Chicago Sky and Japanese National Team.
"It wasn't anything that was lingering," Tibbetts added. "We're going to get it scoped. She's going to work her tail off and she'll be back."
Whitcomb averaged 9.1 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists in her first season in Phoenix after two stints with the Seattle Storm and two seasons with the New York Liberty. Whitcomb won two WNBA championships in Seattle in 2018 and 2020 and helped the Mercury return to the 2025 WNBA Finals last season. Whitcomb re-signed in the offseason with Phoenix, which she called her "first choice."
“It was great to have the role that I had, but the people, the belief and how they pour into me,” Whitcomb said in training camp. “It was a really special year, obviously because of what we did on the court, but how we were off the court made it special too.”
Tibbetts said the feeling was mutual and called Whitcomb "the ultimate leader."
"We're super lucky to have her. That was one of the things... our front office really wanted," Tibbetts said Wednesday. "She's a big part of our culture and how we do things."
Reach USA TODAY National Women’s Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson at [email protected] and follow her on X at @CydHenderson.
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sami Whitcomb injury update: Mercury guard needs knee procedure
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Sami Whitcomb is expected to miss at least four to six weeks as she's set to undergo an arthroscopy Thursday to remove a loose body in her left knee, the team announced on Wednesday. Whitcomb revealed that the injury happened after she came down on a rebound attempt and "felt something" in her knee during practice.
"It was unusual for me. So I just subbed myself off and went and saw the doctor," Whitcomb recalled Wednesday.
Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts said he witnessed the whole thing go down and instantly knew something was wrong after making eye contact with Whitcomb upon landing.
"I think we're the only two that kind of saw the situation that happened in practice. I was standing under a basket. (Whitcomb) kind of went for a rebound and landed and she just kind of made a face," Tibbetts recalled Wednesday during the Mercury's media day. "I looked at her and, 'Hey, you all right?' She's like, 'I don't know.'"
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Whitcomb's injury happened after the Mercury's two preseason wins, where she averaged 7.5 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists across both wins over the Chicago Sky and Japanese National Team.
"It wasn't anything that was lingering," Tibbetts added. "We're going to get it scoped. She's going to work her tail off and she'll be back."
Whitcomb averaged 9.1 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists in her first season in Phoenix after two stints with the Seattle Storm and two seasons with the New York Liberty. Whitcomb won two WNBA championships in Seattle in 2018 and 2020 and helped the Mercury return to the 2025 WNBA Finals last season. Whitcomb re-signed in the offseason with Phoenix, which she called her "first choice."
“It was great to have the role that I had, but the people, the belief and how they pour into me,” Whitcomb said in training camp. “It was a really special year, obviously because of what we did on the court, but how we were off the court made it special too.”
Tibbetts said the feeling was mutual and called Whitcomb "the ultimate leader."
"We're super lucky to have her. That was one of the things... our front office really wanted," Tibbetts said Wednesday. "She's a big part of our culture and how we do things."
Reach USA TODAY National Women’s Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson at [email protected] and follow her on X at @CydHenderson.
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sami Whitcomb injury update: Mercury guard needs knee procedure
Continue reading...
