PHOENIX \u2014 Kahleah Copper sprinted across the Mercury\u2019s two practice courts Tuesday afternoon, while a teammate\u2019s encouraging yell of \u201cYeah, Kah!\u201d rang in the background.<\/p>\n
The extra conditioning was a reminder that Copper is still working her way back from multiple injuries, first a left knee surgery that kept her sidelined for about a month and then a recent hamstring setback. Yet while navigating a season that Copper, a North Philly native, acknowledged has personally been \u201ckind of a lot for me,\u201d she has leaned into her leadership role for a Mercury team that entered Friday\u2019s game at the New York Liberty with the WNBA\u2019s third-best record at 15-8.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow can I still make an impact on my teammates, on the organization, and what we\u2019ve built as a culture?\u201d Copper told The Inquirer Tuesday. \u201cJust understanding that it\u2019s not about me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00bb READ MORE: Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve says Philly is finally ready for a WNBA team \u2014 and is excited for its impact on girls basketball<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n Copper had the arthroscopic procedure in May, posting a photo from her hospital bed on Instagram with Bible verses Proverbs 3:5-6 that reads, \u201ctrust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him and He will make straight your paths.\u201d <\/p>\n So Copper focused on becoming even more vocal with teammates. She observed tendencies and playing styles of a new-look roster from the bench. She was \u201con the coaching staff, pretty much,\u201d down to receiving stat sheets during timeouts and quickly studying her team\u2019s areas of success and struggle.<\/p>\n \u201cI love Kah,\u201d said All-Star teammate Satou Sabally, who is in her first season with Phoenix. \u201cI wasn\u2019t that familiar with her before, but her leadership is just tremendous. Her aura, too.\u201d <\/p>\n Consider that a new layer to this chapter of Copper\u2019s terrific WNBA career. Her second season in Phoenix follows seven with the Chicago Sky, where she blossomed into an All-Star staple, a 2021 WNBA champion, and a Finals MVP. She put together another All-Star campaign in her first season in Phoenix, ranking third in the league in scoring with 21.4 points per game. <\/p>\n She then became one of few constants as the Mercury officially transitioned from an era anchored by franchise legends Diana Taurasi (who retired after the 2024 season) and Brittney Griner (who signed with the Atlanta Dream in the offseason), to one spearheaded by Copper and new All-Stars Sabally and Alyssa Thomas. Copper said she \u201cadvocated\u201d for the organization when it executed the massive four-team trade to acquire Sabally and Thomas. <\/p>\n \u201cIt was important that I uphold my part of the bargain,\u201d Copper said, \u201cwhat I said our culture would be, and how I said I would be as a player and as a leader for us.\u201d <\/p>\n Copper now accepts the \u201cvery annoying\u201d reality that she\u2019s \u201cgot to lift\u201d weights more rigorously in order to better prevent injuries as she plays into her 30s \u2014 a tip first emphasized to her by former teammate and WNBA superstar Candace Parker. Copper can easily recount progress in her return from knee surgery, from feeling \u201call over the place\u201d in her first game back at the Las Vegas Aces on June 15 to feeling like herself in a 33-point outburst at the Dallas Wings on July 3. <\/p>\n \u00bb READ MORE: WNBA players say \u2018Pay Us What You Owe Us\u2019 at All-Star Game, but commissioner remains \u2018optimistic\u2019 as CBA tensions rise<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n Then the hamstring flared up, sidelining her for the four games leading into the All-Star break as part of a cautious treatment approach. Coach Nate Tibbetts knows through conversations with Copper that \u201cshe\u2019s a rhythm player,\u201d and that being out for stretches can be frustrating and challenging. Sabally, though, has already seen glimpses of how Copper\u2019s relentless attacking can help this iteration of the Mercury during the second half of the regular season. Copper has averaged 15.7 points on 41.7% shooting, 3.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.1 steals in seven games played. <\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s just so determined to make the right play and can really go downhill,\u201d Sabally said of Copper. \u201cShe just really puts a lot of pressure on the inside. I think that\u2019s her biggest strength. But besides that, I\u2019m just really inspired by her leadership \u2026 and the more she gets comfortable, the better she\u2019ll be, too.\u201d <\/p>\n Added Tibbetts: \u201cWe know what Kahleah\u2019s about and how she can play. It\u2019s just about building up her minutes. I think collectively, as an organization and our health and performance staff, we need to be smart here.\u201d <\/p>\n Some rust from Copper was still apparent Wednesday night, when she finished with 10 points on 4-of-11 shooting in the Mercury\u2019s uncharacteristically clunky 90-79 home loss to Atlanta. In less than two minutes of third-quarter game action, Copper got clogged in the paint on a driving layup attempt, could not secure a feed from Thomas that went out of bounds, and had a pass from the lane intercepted. Copper hit a three-pointer about midway through the period, then began the fourth with a driving layup and a corner trey on consecutive possessions. <\/p>\n But Copper did not finish the game, a possibility Tibbetts alluded to before tipoff. <\/p>\n \u201cShe probably wants to play more minutes than we\u2019re going to allow her to play tonight,\u201d the coach said during his pregame news conference. \u201cBut that\u2019s just part of the deal. That\u2019s part of getting back into the rotation and getting into a rhythm. But she\u2019s a big part of what we want to do moving forward.\u201d <\/p>\n That includes this grueling five-game road trip, beginning with an East Coast swing at the Liberty and Washington Mystics on Sunday. For now, that is the closest Copper will play to her hometown. But she is excited about the WNBA\u2019s recent announcement that Philly has been awarded an expansion team to begin play in 2030<\/a>. A team existing in her city as a young girl would have been \u201camazing\u201d and \u201ccould have changed a lot of things for me,\u201d she said. She believes the team will inspire the next generation, via the \u201cif you can see her, you can be her\u201d mantra. <\/p>\n