Mercury’s Christyn Williams pumped to play after missing 2 years with serious knee injury

The Phoenix Mercury’s season is just around the corner, but one player on the team is glad to just return to basketball after a catastrophic injury in 2022.

Heartbreaking Blow

Drafted in the second round of the 2022 Draft by the Washington Mystics, shooting guard Christyn Williams had a lot of promise after completing her college career at UConn.

Williams and the Huskies were coming off of playing in the 2022 NCAA National Championship. During UConn’s magical year, the Arkansas native started all 33 games she played in, averaging 14 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.

However just as she was getting ready for her first WNBA campaign with the Mystics, Williams suffered a season-ending knee injury and underwent surgery.

Her rehab process lasted from then until Sept. 7, 2023, when she signed a hardship contract with the Mercury for the rest of last season. Williams did not play in a game.

During this past offseason, Phoenix would then sign her to a training camp deal on April 4. At the time of reporting, Williams does not have a guaranteed contract.

Williams = Warrior

With the training camp in San Diego now wrapped up, Williams shared her status of how she is doing and what it means for her to be back on the court with the Mercury.

“I am feeling great, it’s been a grind honestly,” Williams said. “I’ve been in treatment, rehab, the gym, the weight room for the past two years every day just to get back to this point. Just to give myself the best opportunity to be back in the WNBA.”

“I am really excited to be on this team. I love my teammates, love my coaching staff, the medical staff. To be honest, I am just happy to be here. Just feels good to be back on a team. I have played basketball my entire life, so those two years were really hard for me and I am just happy to be back.”

The players, coaches and staff have all rallied around Williams as her trajectory back to 100% has been a rigorous battle, to say the least.

One of her teammates who has her full support and commends her for the journey back is fellow shooting guard Sophie Cunningham.

Every time Cunningham walks into the gym, she always recognizes Williams is in a good mood, while also noting that she is a warrior for enduring what she has gone through.

“I don’t think a lot of people know, but rehab is awful,” Cunningham said. “She has come in every single day with a positive attitude, she works her tail off… When you have an injury like that, you are grinding on the court like that the next day and you flare up and it is mentally draining, it’s exhausting. She really does come in with a positive, smiley attitude every single day and it doesn’t go unnoticed.”

Time will tell if Williams does indeed receive a full contract after the Mercury’s training camp concluded. There are 12 roster spots per team in the WNBA.

Beginning the preseason, the Mercury will go up against the Seattle Storm on May 7 at 7 p.m. PT.