Phoenix Mercury Release

PHOENIX – The three-time WNBA Champion Phoenix Mercury today acquired three-time All-Star point guard Danielle Robinson from the San Antonio Stars in exchange for reserve center Isabelle Harrison and the Mercury’s 2017 first-round pick (fifth overall).

“There are not a lot of players who immediately improve your team offensively and defensively, but Danielle Robinson is one of those players,” said Mercury General Manager Jim Pitman. “She is an elite point guard and legitimate All-Star in this league who can create for herself and others, and whose game really compliments Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner.  This is an acquisition that absolutely helps with our goal to win a championship in 2017.”

The 5-9, 125-pound Robinson is a three-time WNBA All-Star (2013, 2014, 2015), who is known for her game-changing speed at both ends of the floor.  A five-year pro, Robinson appeared in three-straight All-Star Games after ranking in the top four in the WNBA in assists from 2013-2015, including a league-leading and career-high 6.7 assists in 2013.  Her career 4.9-assist average ranks seventh in the history of the league, fourth among active players. She is a career 45.8-percent shooter from the field, in part because of her ability to get to the rim.

Robinson missed the 2016 season due to injury but is fully recovered and currently playing for Mersin in Turkey, where she is average 11.8 points, 5.2 assists and 3.5 rebounds through four games.

Robinson was named to the All-WNBA Second Team following what was her best season in 2014, after averaging a career-high 12.9 points, career-high 3.5 rebounds and team-best 5.3 assists per game.  That season, she ranked eighth in the league in steals, with a career-high 1.7 per game.

Originally the sixth overall pick of the 2011 WNBA Draft by San Antonio, Robinson was a four-year standout at Oklahoma, where she became just the fourth player in women’s NCAA history to cross the 2,000-point, 700-assist and 300-steal marks in a career (Nancy Lieberman, Dawn Staley, Courtney Vandersloot). She was a three-time First-Team All-Big 12 selection, a four-time member of the All-Big 12 Defensive Team and a finalist for the 2009, 2010 and 2011 Nancy Lieberman Award as the nation’s top point guard.

Harrison was the Mercury’s first-round selection (12th overall) in the 2015 WNBA Draft, but didn’t make her WNBA debut until 2016 after suffering a knee injury while in college. She appeared in 26 games Phoenix last season, averaging 3.1 points and 1.8 rebounds per contest.

San Antonio Stars Release

SAN ANTONIO (Jan. 31, 2017) – The San Antonio Stars today announced that they have acquired center Isabelle Harrison and the No. 5 pick in the 2017 WNBA Draft from the Phoenix Mercury in exchange for guard Danielle Robinson.

“We are grateful for all the contributions Danielle Robinson has made on the court and in the community here in San Antonio, and we wish her the best in Phoenix,” said Stars General Manager Ruth Riley. “The Stars welcome Isabelle Harrison to San Antonio and believe she will be a great, youthful addition to our post rotation.”

The Stars now hold the Nos. 1 and 5 first-round picks and the No. 1 pick in the third round of the 2017 WNBA Draft, which will take place in April. This is the first time that San Antonio has held the No. 1 pick and the first time the team has had two first-round picks since moving to the Alamo City in 2003. The franchise has previously held the No. 1 pick only once when the Utah Starzz selected Margo Dydek in 1998 and has only had two first-round picks once when Utah selected Danielle Crockrom with the No. 11 pick and LaNeishea Caufield with the No. 14 pick in 2002.

Harrison, a 6-3 center, averaged 3.1 points and 1.8 rebounds in 7.5 minutes per game during her rookie season last year with the Mercury. She was drafted 12th overall by Phoenix in the 2015 WNBA after playing four seasons at the University of Tennessee, where she averaged 9.6 points and 6.95 rebounds in 18.4 minutes per game. She finished her collegiate career with 1,071 points to become the 39th Lady Vol to reach the 1,000-point mark. She also finished ninth on the Lady Vols’ all-time blocks list with 131 rejections and sixth with 31 career double-doubles.