PHOENIX – Within the first two days of the Phoenix Mercury’s training camp, guard Kahleah Copper pulled forward Natasha Mack aside and told her to be more vocal. However, Copper’s delivery during their exchange was unfamiliar to her teammate.
“Last year, she probably would’ve been more frustrated. This year, she’s been more patient with me,” Mack said with a smile. “I know that’s hard for Kah, but I appreciate it.”
Copper is the only remaining starter from last year’s Mercury squad, which finished seventh in the league with a 19-21 record. Brittney Griner, who played 11 years with the Mercury, signed with the Atlanta Dream on Feb. 1. A day later, the Connecticut Sun announced that it had acquired Mercury players Rebecca Allen and Natasha Cloud as part of a four-team trade that would send Satou Sabally and five-time WNBA All-Star Alyssa Thomas to Phoenix. About three weeks later, 20-year Mercury player Diana Taurasi retired.
Accepting all the changes wasn’t easy for Copper at first, but now, in just her second year with the team, she is embracing the opportunity to lead the Mercury in her own fashion.
“BG [Griner] choosing to move on was fine – you respect people’s decisions – but then the trade happened, and that was a lot emotionally because of what Tash (Cloud) brought for us and me personally,” she said. “I was like, ‘Damn.’ Then I felt anxious about stepping in, and now being that leader is really on me.”
Seeing Copper and Cloud, both Philadelphia natives, laughing together was a common sight last season. As for Taurasi, Copper said the veteran was the reason Copper came to Phoenix.
“I’m super grateful because I’m definitely standing on her shoulders,” Copper told Andscape. “When I’m talking to the players about appreciating Phoenix, [it’s because] we just walked into this, so we must uphold the standards and care for what we have.”
Copper said she had time to process the shift in expectations because she left the Unrivaled women’s basketball league in Florida early and arrived in Phoenix about three weeks before training camp. There, she was able to prepare her body, gain an understanding of her new teammates’ needs and how they play, and learn about them through conversations over meals – showing leadership “my way,” she said.
“It was clearly a respect thing just coming in [last season], and this is really their [Taurasi and Griner] sh–, to be real,” Copper said. “[I was] trying to follow suit.”
For Copper, “her way” means using her voice more, being understanding and passionate and leading by example with a consistent work ethic and punctuality. Copper also wants to help the younger players be confident by challenging them to do what the team requires. She believes she can connect with them because she has been the player who is crucial to a team but gets limited playing time.
The 30-year-old acknowledged Taurasi and three-time WNBA champion Candace Parker as teammates who have helped shape her.
“When you have a player with such great accomplishments trying to pour into you, you feel inspired. If you have an Olympian coming to you and telling you she struggles with finishing, you’re going to lock in,” Copper said. “When you’ve had great leaders, it’s a blessing, so you want to be able to do that for the next person.”
Copper recognizes that Sabally, 27, will look up to players such as herself and Thomas, 33.
Sabally, a two-time WNBA All-Star, credited Copper for making Sabally’s transition to Phoenix comfortable. From their first breakfast at Pura Vida Miami while they were playing in Unrivaled to their many hangouts thereafter, Sabally said she felt welcomed by how honest and proactive Copper was in their recruiting conversations.
“She comes off as this kid from North Philly with toughness and grit, and she’s got all of that, but the thing I love about Kah is when you sit down and have a convo with her, it’s real, it’s genuine,” Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts said.
Copper flew with Sabally to Phoenix for her introductory press conference in early February and gave her a tour of the Mercury training facilities and PHX Arena, where the team plays.
“For her to be there and ask a question, it gave an icebreaker feeling,” Sabally said. “It was really great for her to step up and show me the way.”
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Sabally said that Copper gathered the team in the first or second practice of training camp and told them not to settle and to always be hungry. Sabally respects Copper for not being satisfied despite already having a championship.
“She’s been setting the standard, and I love that,” Sabally said. “I love when someone comes in and does things the right way and then demands things because, absolutely, tell me everything you need.”
After one year of observing Taurasi, Copper said she wants to replicate the three-time WNBA champion’s work ethic as she leads the team this season.
“She came to work every day and never looked for excuses,” Copper said. “She was 40. I don’t know if I’m going to be doing this sh— till 40 every day. She could’ve said, ‘All right, I’m done,’ but once she clocked in, she was at work. It’s important when you want people to follow you that you are not only doing the right thing but consistently doing the right thing.”
Copper doesn’t feel like she’s carrying the leadership responsibility by herself, though — she has Thomas. Before joining the Mercury, Thomas spent 11 years with the Sun and led the franchise to eight straight trips to the playoffs (2017-2024), including WNBA Finals appearances in 2019 and 2022.
Copper, who praised Thomas’ unselfishness, said she also appreciates Thomas for being a vocal spark, especially on defense.
“She’s setting the tone for us on culture, and I’m super grateful for her because I don’t feel like I’m doing this alone,” Copper said. “I don’t feel like it’s all on me.”
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Thomas called Copper a natural leader because of her effort and energy.
“I already know what Kah is about, so that part was a no-brainer for me,” Thomas said. “You know what you’re going to get from her every night.”
Tibbetts said that he doesn’t want Copper to identify a game as good or bad based on her shot percentage but how she works defensively and if she is vocal when things aren’t going the team’s way.
“We have a new group, but my whole challenge to her this year is lead, lead, lead, and it’s not just with what you say, it’s what you do,” Tibbetts said. “It’s all the little things that make a difference between good and bad organizations.”
Copper is aware that the season will bring difficult moments. Her message to the team is to block out the noise of what others say about the Mercury’s potential and where it will rank.
“I want us to show up daily and get a little better. I want us to leave the floor, and the opposing team says, ‘They beat us,’” Copper said. “I don’t want us to go back and look at the film and say we didn’t play hard this possession, but we played hard this possession. I want us to play at a high and competitive level every night.”
As Copper welcomes a new chapter in her career as the face of the Mercury, she is reminding herself that she won’t be perfect.
“You might mess up, but you’re aiming to do the right thing every day,” she said. “I don’t always give myself grace, and I really strive for perfection. … I like stuff how I expect it to go, so [I’m] just giving myself grace in this new role and embracing it. This is what you work for, these moments to lead a team.”