Mercedes Russell
| File:Mercedes Russell (cropped).jpg Russell with the Seattle Storm in 2019 | |
| Free agent | |
|---|---|
| Position | Center |
| Personal information | |
| Born | July 27, 1995 Springfield, Oregon, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
| Listed weight | 195 lb (88 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Springfield (Springfield, Oregon) |
| College | Tennessee (2013–2018) |
| WNBA draft | 2018: 2nd round, 22nd overall pick |
| Drafted by | New York Liberty |
| Playing career | 2018–present |
| Career history | |
| 2018 | New York Liberty |
| 2018–2024 | Seattle Storm |
| 2019–2020 | Southside Flyers |
| 2020–2021 | Galatasaray |
| 2023–2024 | Southside Flyers |
| 2024 | Heilongjiang Dragons |
| 2025 | Shanxi Flame |
| 2025 | Los Angeles Sparks |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Stats at NBA.comLua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
| Stats at Basketball ReferenceLua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
| Stats at Basketball ReferenceLua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
| Women's Basketball Hall of Fame | |
Medals | |
Mercedes Brianna Russell (born July 27, 1995) is an American professional basketball player who is currently a free agent. She was drafted 22nd overall by the New York Liberty in the 2018 WNBA draft. Russell played center for the Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball team in college.[1] In high school, she was named 2013 Gatorade Girls' Basketball Player of the Year.
College
[edit | edit source]Russell played college basketball at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee for the Lady Volunteers.[2]
Statistics
[edit | edit source]| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013–14 | Tennessee | 35 | 5 | 18.5 | .596 | .000 | .514 | 5.0 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 6.3 |
| 2014–15 | Tennessee | Injured | |||||||||||
| 2015–16 | Tennessee | 36 | 31 | 29.3 | .548 | .000 | .545 | 8.3 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 1.8 | 1.6 | 9.9 |
| 2016–17 | Tennessee | 32 | 32 | 34.6 | .562 | .000 | .671 | 9.7 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 1.4 | 2.0 | 16.1 |
| 2017–18 | Tennessee | 33 | 33 | 32.7 | .583 | .000 | .682 | 9.2 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 15.3 |
| Career | 136 | 101 | 28.6 | .570 | .000 | .622 | 8.0 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 11.7 | |
Career
[edit | edit source]WNBA
[edit | edit source]At the 2018 WNBA draft, Russell was drafted in the second round by the New York Liberty. After making her WNBA debut with the Liberty, Russell was waived and soon after picked up by the Seattle Storm.[3] In joining the Storm's line-up featuring players such as Sue Bird, Breanna Stewart and Natasha Howard, Russell would take home a WNBA Championship in her first professional season.
Russell played with the Storm 2018-2024.
On February 11, 2025, Russell signed with the Los Angeles Sparks.[4] On July 12, she was waived by the Sparks.[5]
WNBL
[edit | edit source]In 2019, Russell was signed by the newly rebranded Southside Flyers in Australia's Women's National Basketball League (WNBL).[6] There she would play alongside the likes of Leilani Mitchell and Jenna O'Hea.
With the Flyers in the 2023–24 WNBL season, Russell helped the team win the championship while earning grand final MVP honours.[7]
Career statistics
[edit | edit source]| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game | RPG | Rebounds per game |
| APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game | BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
| TO | Turnovers per game | FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| Bold | Career best | ° | League leader |
WNBA
[edit | edit source]Regular season
[edit | edit source]Stats current through game on July 14, 2025
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018† | New York | 2 | 0 | 16.0 | .333 | – | .750 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 2.5 |
| Seattle | 22 | 0 | 4.6 | .484 | – | .500 | 1.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 1.6 | |
| 2019 | Seattle | 34 | 30 | 25.6 | .520 | – | .646 | 6.1 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 7.5 |
| 2020† | Seattle | 22 | 2 | 13.8 | .410 | – | .560 | 3.2 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 3.5 |
| 2021 | Seattle | 30 | 28 | 24.7 | .617 | – | .766 | 6.1 | 1.6 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 1.3 | 7.3 |
| 2022 | Seattle | 5 | 0 | 10.8 | .500 | – | .667 | 1.8 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.4 | 2.0 |
| 2023 | Seattle | 37 | 13 | 19.1 | .516 | .000 | .605 | 4.0 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 5.0 |
| 2024 | Seattle | 37 | 6 | 15.7 | .517 | — | .636 | 3.0 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 3.9 |
| 2025 | Los Angeles | 20 | 0 | 8.2 | .444 | – | .714 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 1.7 |
| Career | 8 years, 3 teams | 209 | 79 | 17.0 | .521 | 0.0 | .653 | 3.8 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 4.6 |
Playoffs
[edit | edit source]| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018† | Seattle | 1 | 0 | 4.0 | – | – | – | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 2019 | Seattle | 2 | 2 | 32.0 | .769° | – | 1.000 | 8.5 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 11.5 |
| 2020† | Seattle | 6 | 0 | 17.5 | .619 | – | 1.000 | 3.8 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 5.2 |
| 2021 | Seattle | 1 | 1 | 45.0° | .556 | – | – | 12.0° | 4.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 10.0 |
| 2024 | Seattle | 2 | 1 | 23.0 | .500 | — | 1.000 | 7.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 2.5 | 5.0 |
| Career | 5 years, 1 team | 12 | 4 | 22.0 | .627 | – | 1.000 | 5.6 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 1.0 | 6.2 |
References
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- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).[user-generated source]
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External links
[edit | edit source]- Career statistics from NBA.comLua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). · Basketball ReferenceLua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
- Career statistics from WNBA.comLua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). · Basketball ReferenceLua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
- Tennessee Lady Vols bio
- 1995 births
- Living people
- American expatriate basketball people in Australia
- American expatriate basketball people in Turkey
- American women's basketball players
- Basketball players from Oregon
- Centers (basketball)
- Galatasaray S.K. (women's basketball) players
- Los Angeles Sparks players
- McDonald's High School All-Americans
- New York Liberty draft picks
- New York Liberty players
- Parade High School All-Americans (girls' basketball)
- People from Springfield, Oregon
- Seattle Storm players
- Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball players
- Southside Flyers players
- 21st-century American sportswomen
- Athletes Unlimited basketball players