About Mercedes
HEIGHT: 6-6 WEIGHT: 195 lbs BIRTHDATE: July 27, 1995 BIRTHPLACE: Springfield, OR HOMETOWN: Springfield, OR COLLEGE: Tennessee HIGH SCHOOL: Springfield HS (OR) WNBA EXPERIENCE: 5 Seasons DRAFTED BY: New York, 2018, Second Round (#22) HOW ACQUIRED: Signed as free agent TWITTER: @MerSladezz INSTAGRAM: mersladezz
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
2022 HIGHLIGHTS WITH SEATTLE:
- Appeared in five games with the Storm, missing the first part of the season and the final stretch due to a non-basketball injury suffered prior to the start of the season
2021 HIGHLIGHTS WITH SEATTLE:
- Appeared in 30 games, making 28 starts with the Storm
- Averaged 7.3 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, shooting 61.7% from the field–the third-highest in franchise history (min. 100 FGA)
- 61.7% FG% was 2nd-highest in WNBA, though Russell was 7 FGM shy of being among qualifiers
- Scored season-high 14 points including a 14-point, 8-rebound performance in the regular-season finale vs Phoenix on Sept. 17, adding 3 assists and 3 steals on 7-of-9 shooting
- Came close to a triple-double with 10 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists at Chicago on Aug. 15, scoring her 500th career point in the game.
2020 HIGHLIGHTS WITH SEATTLE:
- Won second WNBA Championship
- Played in all 22 games, starting the final two games of the regular season, stepping up in place of Breanna Stewart
- Averaged 5.2 points and 3.8 rebounds per game
- Recorded a season-high 10 points vs. Phoenix on Sept. 11
- Grabbed a career-high tying 11 rebounds vs. Las Vegas on Sept. 13, also recording a career-high 9 defensive rebounds
2019 HIGHLIGHTS WITH SEATTLE:
- Made first career start on 6/4/19 vs. Minnesota… appeared in all 34 games (30 starts)
- Locked in 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
- Dished out career-high 6 assists on 8/11/19 at New York
- Shot 51.7% from the field
2018 HIGHLIGHTS:
- Made her WNBA debut with New York on 5/20/19 vs. Phoenix, tallying 3 points, 1 rebound and 2 steals
- Posted a career-high 8 points and career-high 9 rebounds 8/19/18 vs. Dallas
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:
- 2019-20: Southside Flyers, WNBL
- 2018-2019: Wisla Can Pack, Poland
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