Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner were declared sacked from the team by their head coach due to a disagreement they had.

Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner were declared sacked from the team by their head coach due to a disagreement they had.

Due to a disagreement, the head coach of the team declared Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner to be fired.

In January 2022, Vanessa Nygaard was announced as the new head coach of the Phoenix Mercury, much to everyone’s usual delight. She had no idea then what kind of challenges she would have during her 17-31 season in Phoenix, which came to an end on Sunday when the team made her termination official.

Brittney Griner, a star center for the Mercury, was arrested and imprisoned in Russia in February of that year, causing her to miss the 2022 campaign. Halfway through the season, Tina Charles, a free agency signee, filed for divorce from the squad. Star guards Diana Taurasi and Skylar Diggins-Smith didn’t play in the playoffs last year because of what seemed to be an early quarrel between them.

Following their 2021 WNBA Finals run, Phoenix entered the postseason with a 15–21 record before falling to the Las Vegas Aces in the opening round.

After returning to the United States in December, Griner has had a great season. This season, she was named an All-Star starter on Sunday, which coincided with the Mercury’s announcement of Nygaard’s departure. Nygaard’s 2-10 start total tied the team’s poorest record through 12 games.

Here is a look at Mercury’s past fifteen months and what lies ahead for both Nygaard and the planet.