Kahleah Copper returned to the WNBA with an Olympic gold medal and a profane nickname, courtesy of A’ja Wilson. She lived up to both in her first game back with the Phoenix Mercury on Thursday.
The All-Star guard scored 29 points in the Mercury’s 85-65 victory over the Chicago Sky to open the post-Olympic portion of the WNBA season. Fellow Olympian Brittney Griner added 23 points on 10-of-12 shooting, nine rebounds and six assists.
It was set to be a big night for Copper anyway, as she returned to Wintrust Arena for the first time since being traded to Phoenix after seven seasons in Chicago. Received with a tribute videoin honor of a tenure that saw her win the WNBA Finals MVP award in 2021, and was addressed with her requested title of “Olympic gold medalist in MF.”
Copper became a Team USA hero less than a week before the game, when she poured in 12 vital points, all in the fourth quarter, in a 67-66 win over France in the gold medal game. The performance not only gave the Americans their eighth consecutive gold in women’s basketball, but moved the entire U.S. team into a tie with China for the gold medal lead with 40. With more medals overall, it was the U.S. that topped the world medal count.
So Copper already has plenty to celebrate, but there’s still plenty left to do in the coming weeks. The Mercury came out of the break with a 13-12 record, hoping to repeat their 10-game winning streak after the Olympic break in 2021.
Thursday was a good first step, with another test against Indiana Fever scheduled for Friday.
Lynx returns with victory against the Mystics
Meanwhile, the Minnesota Lynx welcomed two important members of Team USA: head coach Cheryl Reeve and All-Star forward Napheesa Collier.
Minnesota needed a fourth-quarter comeback to dispatch the now 6-20 Washington Mystics and win the fourth quarter 21-10 in a 79-68 victory. Collier recorded a game-high 17 points and 12 rebounds.
With the win, the Lynx improved to a Western Conference-best 18-8 and will face the Mystics again on Saturday, this time on the road.
