MercedesRussell

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:

• 2x WNBA Champion (2018, 2020)
• Made first career start on 6/4/19 with Seattle
• Notched first career double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds on 6/14/19 at Washington
• Scored career-high 19 points on 7/3/19 vs. New York
• Drafted 22nd overall in the 2018 WNBA Draft by New York
• An All-American center at Tennessee; almost averaging a double-double in her senior season (15.3 PPG and 9.2 RPG, shooting 58.3 percent from the field)
• The fifth player in Tennessee history to surpass 1,500 points and 1,000 rebounds
• First Team All-SEC, Honorable Mention AP and WBCA All-American in 2017-18

2024 (SEATTLE): Appeared in 37 games, including making six starts, averaging 3.9 points, 3.0 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game in 15.7 minutes per game…scored season-high 14 points in regular season finale against Phoenix (Sept. 19), connecting on 6-of11 from the field and adding four rebounds and a block…pulled down a season-high eight rebounds and added two points, two steals and two assists against Phoenix (Sept. 7)…recorded 100th career steal on June 27 vs Indiana…scored eight points and added 12 rebounds in Game One of the WNBA First Round series against Las Vegas (Sept. 22) while making fourth career start.

2023 (SEATTLE): Played in 37 games, making 13 starts, and averaged 5.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.5 blocks and 0.4 steals per game…recorded double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, adding a season-high five assists against Dallas (June 17)…scored season-high 13 points while adding a pair of blocks against Chicago (Aug. 27), including taking first three-point attempt of her career, a three-quarter court heave at the end of the first quarter…had 12 points on a perfect 6-of-6 shooting against Dallas (Sept. 8).

2022 (SEATTLE): Appeared in five games with the Storm, averaging 2.0 points and 1.8 rebounds per game while battling injury during season…made season debut on June 3 vs Dallas after missing first eight games, scoring two points and adding a pair of rebounds…pulled down 500th career rebound on June 7 against Atlanta…missed final 23 games after reaggravating injury following game at Dallas on June 12.

2021 (SEATTLE): Appeared in 30 games, making 28 starts, averaging 7.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.4 blocks per game while shooting 61.7% from the field (third-highest in franchise history, min. 100 FGA)…recorded two double-doubles and scored in double-figures in 12 games…tallied first double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 rebounds against Las Vegas (June 27)…nearly had a triple-double with 10 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists against Chicago (Aug. 15)…recorded season-high of 14 points in three games all during the final eight games of the season, first hitting the mark with 14 points and eight rebounds against Washington (Aug. 2)…wrapped up the season with 14 points, eight rebounds, and a season-high three steals against Phoenix (Sept. 17)…scored 12 points on a perfect 6-of-6 shooting against Phoenix (July 9)…recorded a playoff double-double in Seattle lone postseason game, scoring 10 points with 12 rebounds while adding four assists and two blocks vs Phoenix (Sept. 26)…appeared in 100th career game and scored 500th career point on Aug. 15 against Chicago.

2020 (SEATTLE): 2020 WNBA Champion…appeared in all 22 games, making two starts…averaged 3.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 0.4 steals and 0.4 blocks in 13.8 minutes per game…scored season-high 10 points while adding six rebounds while making first start of the season against Phoenix (Sept. 11)…followed that up with season-highs of 11 rebounds and two blocks while adding three points in regular-season finale against Las Vegas (Sept. 13)…appeared in all six playoff games for Seattle, averaging 5.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.0 assists while shooting 61.9% from the field…had 10 points and six rebounds in series clinching win over Minnesota (Sept. 27).

2019 (SEATTLE): Appeared in all 34 games, making 30 starts…averaged 7.5 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.1 steals, 1.0 assists, and 0.5 blocks per game…scored in double-figures in 10 games and recorded 10 or more rebounds twice…made first career start on June 4 vs Minnesota finishing with four points, four rebounds, two steals and a block in 31 minutes…recorded first career double-double with 15 points (on 7-of-9 shooting) with 11 rebounds vs Washington (June 14)…scored in double figures in three-straight games, capped with a season-high 19 points (7-of-8 shooting), along with five rebounds, a block and a steal against New York (July 3)…had a season-high three blocks and added seven points and nine rebounds against Minnesota (July 17)…came close to a triple double with nine points, eight rebounds, and a season-high six assists against New York (Aug. 11)…averaged 11.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in two playoff games, missing just three total shots over the two-game span (10-of-13)…scored 13 points and added nine rebounds in win over Minnesota (Sept. 11)…tallied 10 points and eight boards against Los Angeles in second-round match-up (Sept. 15).

2018 (SEATTLE): Appeared in 24 games, two with New York and 22 with Seattle in rookie season…drafted by the New York Liberty with the 22nd overall pick in the 2018 WNBA Draft…appeared in two games with New York, averaging 2.5 points, 1.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.0 steals per game…made WNBA debut and scored first career points on May 20 vs Phoenix, scoring three points and adding two steals and a rebound…released by the Liberty on May 26 and signed with Seattle on May 30…appeared in 22 games with Seattle, averaging 1.6 points and 1.4 rebounds in 4.5 minutes per game…made Storm debut on May 31 against Las Vegas, scoring two points and adding eight rebounds, two blocks, and an assist in 17 minutes…had season highs of eight points and nine rebounds in regular season finale against Dallas (Aug. 19)…made postseason debut on Sept. 7 against Washington.

COLLEGE HIGHLIGHTS:

• Named to the coaches All-SEC First Team and AP All-SEC Second Team
• Sixth player in Tennessee history to record 1,500 points and 1,000 career-rebounds
• Set the record for most single-season double-doubles for a junior (19) and senior (16)
• Recorded 40+ career double-doubles, joining the ranks of Candice Parker and Chamique Holdsclaw
• Ranked no. 3 in Tennessee history for career-rebounds (1,085)
• Finished fifth all-time in blocked shots (195)
• Concluded her career in the NCAA Second Round vs. Oregon State with 21 points and 14 rebounds

OVERSEAS COMPETITION:

• 2023-24: Southside Flyers, WNBL
• 2020-21: Galatasaray (Hungary)
• 2019-20: Southside Flyers, WNBL
• 2018-2019: Wisla Can Pack, Poland

OVERSEAS COMPETITION HIGHLIGHTS:

• Averaged 14.9 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game in 27 games with Southside, earning All-WNBL First Team honors and helping lead the Flyers to the WNBL Championship.
• Named 2023-24 WNBL Grand Final MVP, averaging 14.3 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game in the three-game series including 13 points, 13 rebounds, 2 blocks in the final game.

USA BASKETBALL HIGHLIGHTS:

• Lead in rebounding (6.3 RPG) with the USA U-23 team at the 2017 U-24 Four Nations Tournament in Tokyo, Japan
• FIBA U-17 World Champion gold medalist in Amsterdam, The Netherlands in 2012; averaging 8.9 PPG and 6.9 RPG and hitting 64.0 percent from the field
• FIBA U-16 Americas Championship gold medalist in Merida, Mexico in 2011; set single-game records with 15 rebounds and five blocks and tournament records 11.4 RPG and 4 BPG

PERSONAL:

• Parents are Tammy Hill and Lorenzo Russell.
• Graduated in communications studies from the University of Tennessee