About Leilani
CAREER: Totaled 367 career games (187 starts) over 12 WNBA season with the New York Liberty, Washington Mystics and Phoenix Mercury…Holds career averages of 6.6 points, 2.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists…Played the first six seasons of her career with the Liberty (2008-2013)…did not play in the WNBA in 2014 and only appeared in 10 games in 2016 with Washington after missing majority of season due to Olympics…Named WNBA Most Improved Player for the 2010 and 2019 seasons.
2020: Started in all 22 games, averaging 9.5 points and a career-high 5.4 assists per game…Had 14 games with at least five assists…Recorded two games with 10+ assists…Scored a season-high 20 points and dished a season-high 12 assists on 9/4 vs. Chicago…Scored at least 10 points in 12 games…Led the team in assists in 16 games…Finished the season ranked fourth in the league in assists per game at 5.4.
2019: Averaged a career-high in points (12.8), rebounds (3.0), field goal percentage (44.1) and minutes (30.3)…Ranked second in three-point makes per game (2.3) this season and made at least three in 13 of the 32 games (27 starts) she played in…Ranked fourth in the league in three-point makes (74) and third in percentage (43.0%) while attempting the eighth-most in the league (172)…Matched the WNBA regular season record for most three pointers in a game (eight) on July 30 at Washington in a career-high (28) performance… Her seven threes in the second half matched the WNBA regular season record for most threes in a half… Her .667 percent from three-point range on July 30 is the best three-point percentage in a regular season game in WNBA history with a minimum of 12 attempts…Scored 10 or more points 21 times after doing so two times in 2018…Notched 11-consecutive double-digit scoring performances, a career high from July 20 to August 20…Notched her 1,000th-career assist on Sept. 8 against Las Vegas …Notched her first-career double-double, scoring 18 points and dishing a season-high 11 assists on June 28 against Indiana. She shot a perfect 4-for-4 from three which is the second-most consecutive threes by a player in franchise history behind Briann January’s five on May 31 …Became the 12th player in franchise history to score 1,000 points in Mercury uniform on August 27 at New York
2018: Appeared in 31 games in 2018, missing two games in July following the birth of her son in Australia…missed third game on August 7 (coach’s decision)…Scored a season-high 10 points twice (May 18 vs. Dallas and July 8 at Atlanta)…Dished a season-high eight assists on July 10 at Dallas…recorded five or more assists in five games on the season…Led all Mercury players off the bench in scoring (4.4 points per game) and assists (2.3 assists per game) on the season…Passed Anna DeForge this season for 10th place on the Mercury’s all-time assists chart this season and now has 282 in her Mercury career…Shot .851 percent from the free throw line, her highest shooting percentage from the charity strip since 2015 when she shot .889 percent…Ranked fourth on the team in assists (70)…Has recorded 70 or more assists in all but one season (19 in 2016 after playing in only 10 games)…Knocked down a season-high three three-pointers twice (6/26 at New York and 8/20 against Indiana)…Played in her 300th-career game on 7/5 against Connecticut.
2017: One-of-five Mercury players to appear in all 34 games (seven starts), including the final three of the regular season…Scored in double-figures in 14 games this season, including eight of the first 10 games to begin the year…Finished in double-figures in a career-best seven-straight games from 5/17-6/7…Scored a season-high 19 points off the bench on 5/ 27 against Dallas…Finished four-of-six (66.7%) from three-point range…Added four assists, three rebounds and three steals in the game…Finished the season with averages of 8.0 points and 3.6 assists per game, both were her highest averages since 2017 when she averaged 9.3 points and 3.8 assists per game…Finished 14th in the WNBA in assists per game (3.6) and 12th in total assists (121)…Dished five or more assists in 14 games on the season…Recorded four or more assists in 19 games…Recorded a season-high eight assists on 8/4 at Connecticut… Finished with 80 rebounds in 2017, the third-most rebounds she’s collected in a season (88 in 2010, 84 in 2012)…Grabbed a career-high five offensive rebounds on 6/18 at Los Angeles…Recorded a career-best 10 blocks on the season (previous high was six in 2010).
2016: Missed the first 24 games of the WNBA season to train with the Australian National Team and to compete for the Opals in the 2016 Rio Olympics…Signed with the Washington Mystics following the Olympics and appeared in 10 games… Finished the season with averages of 5.9 ppg and 1.9 apg in 10 games…Scored in all but two of the 10 games she appeared in…Scored a season-high 20 points on 9/7 vs. Chicago…Shot .700 percent from the field, including converting on five of her seven three-point attempts… Recorded three or more assists in five of the 10 games played in.
2015: Appeared in 34 games (26 starts) for the Phoenix Mercury… Averaged 6.7 points, 2.7 assists and 2.1 rebounds in 23.0 minutes per game…Shot .396 from three-point territory, the third consecutive season she shot .375 percent or better…Shot a career-best .889 percent from the charity stripe…Scored a season high-high 25 points on 6/12 at Indiana… Totaled 10-plus points nine times…Dished a season-high seven assists on 6/14 vs. Minnesota.
2014: Took the 2014 WNBA season off to spend time with her family in Australia.
2013: Averaged 5.0 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 34 games (nine starts) for the Liberty… Shot a career-best .857 from the free-throw line… Reached double figures on seven occasions… Scored a season-high 16 points on 6/14 vs. Connecticut… Totaled 70+ rebounds for the fourth consecutive season.
2012: Appeared in 34 games (25 starts)… Averaged 6.5 points and 3.0 assists per game.. Scored in double-figures in nine games…Led the Liberty shooting .411 percent from three-point range (53-129)… Tied for first on the time with 53 made three-pointers and second with 103 assists.
2011: Averaged 5.6 points and 2.1 rebounds in 30 games (all starts)… Registered a career-high, scoring 24 points on 9/2 at Minnesota… Led the Liberty with most three-point field goals made in a game with six (9/2 at Minnesota).
2010: Started in all 24 games that she played… Averaged 9.3 points and 3.8 assists per game… Scored 10-plus points 14 times… Led the team in three-point field-goal percentage (48.6%) and was second in three-point field goals made (72)… Recipient of Most Improved Player of the Year award.
2009: Appeared in 34 games (two starts)…Averaged 2.4 points and 2.2 rebounds per game… Led the team in assists six times and rebounds once… Finished sophomore campaign, leading the WNBA in assists per turnover ratio (2.92).
2008: Appeared in 34 games with five starts…Ranked second in the WNBA for assists per turnover (2.49)… Scored in double figures twice and led the team in assists nine times.
COLLEGE: Averaged 16.8 points, 7.5 assists and 4.1 rebounds at Utah in senior season en route to a 2008 NCAA Tournament bid…Sat out 2006-07 season after transferring from Idaho to Utah…While at Idaho, named honorable mention All-American by the Associated Press and the WBCA, and was one of 11 finalists for the Nancy Lieberman Award, given to the nation’s top point guard…Left Idaho as the school’s career record for steals (323) and also a single-game record for three-pointers (seven).
INTERNATIONAL: Played for the UC Capitals of the WNBL in Australia during the 2018-19 WNBA offseason…averaged 12.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and 5.5 assists in 24 games…shot 41.7 percent (60-of-144) from three-point range on the season…Played for Hatay BSB in Turkey during the 2017-18 WNBA offseason…averaged 11.8 points and 4.1 assists in 22 Turkish Legaue games…averaged 12.1 points and 5.6 assists in EuroCup action…Spent the 2016-17 WNBA offseason with Sydney of the WNBL in Australia…Led Sydney to the WNBL title after leading the league in assists per game (6.0) and ranked seventh in scoring (16.0 ppg)…Member of the 2016 Australian national team that competed in the Rio Olympics• Spent the 2015-16 with the Adelaide Lightning of the WNBL in Australia…Averaged team highs in points per game (17.4) and assists per game (5.2)…Spent the 2014-15 season with Sydney of the WNBL in Australia…Led the league in assists per game with 5.6…averaged a team-high 12.5 points and 4.1 rebounds…Played with Australia in the 2014 FIBA World Championships for women which was her first stint on the national team and won a bronze medal…Played the 2013-14 season with Dandenong of the WNBL in Australia…Averaged 11.9 points and a team-high 5.4 assists while shooting .453 percent from the field and .411 percent from three-point range…Also has played professionally in Croatia and France.
PLAYOFFS: Has made eight playoff appearances in her career (2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019)… Has appeared in 33 playoff games (14 starts), 17 with the Mercury… Has a playoff career average of 5.3 points and 2.2 assists… Started in the Mercury’s only playoff game in 2019, averaging 5.0 points and 3.0 assists…Made appearances in seven playoff games for Phoenix in 2018… Averaged 1.7 points in 7.0 minutes of action… Started in all five of the Mercury’s playoff games in 2017, averaging 15.0 points, 2.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists… Averaged playoff career highs in points per game (15.0) and assists per game (3.8)… Scored a playoff career-high 19 points at Los Angeles on September 12 in Game 1 of the WNBA Semifinals…Came off the bench in four playoff games for Phoenix in 2015, averaging 4.0 points and 3.5 assists while shooting .500 from three-point territory…Made a total of 16 playoff appearances with the New York Liberty (2008, 2010, 2011, 2012)…Averaged 2.5 points and 1.5 rebounds per game in two games during the 2012 WNBA playoffs… In three games (all starts) averaged 5.7 points and 1.7 assists for the Liberty during the 2011 playoffs…In five 2010 playoff games (all starts) averaged 3.2 points, 3.6 assists and 3.2 rebounds in 29.1 minutes per game… As a rookie, appeared in six games for the Liberty… Averaged 4.8 points and 1.3 assists per game…Shot .500 from three-point range and .429 percent from the floor.
PERSONAL: Leilani Stamah Mitchell was born in Richland, Wash. to Dennis Mitchell and the late Ellie Majid…Sister to Travis, Reggie, Tyler, Troy and Robbie …Born in the United States, but holds dual citizenship with Australia, which is the native country of her mother …Family consumer studies major at Utah …Enjoys swimming and mountain biking …Following her playing days, hopes to coach or teach …Favorite singer is Usher…Guiltiest pleasure is candy
TRANSACTIONS: Selected in the second round (25th overall) of the 2008 WNBA Draft by the Phoenix Mercury… Acquired by New York via trade with Phoenix in exchange for the Liberty’s 2009 third round draft pick on May 7, 2008…Later signed as a free agent by the Mercury as a free agent on February 4, 2015…Re-signed with the Phoenix Mercury on June 5, 2019…Signed with the Washington Mystics on February 13, 2020