Charisma Osborne feels 'excited' to be back with the Phoenix Mercury
The Mercury signed rookie free agent Charisma Osborne to a new deal on Thursday. Phoenix drafted Osborne with the 25th overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, but the guard was cut last month.
The Phoenix Mercury signed rookie free agent guard Charisma Osborne to a new contract on Thursday. The team’s roster is now at the league-required minimum of 11 players after waiving Morgan Bertsch on Monday.
Osborne will be available for the Mercury’s home game against the two-time defending champion Las Vegas Aces on Thursday at 7 p.m.
“I am available tonight. I don’t know how much I’ll play or if I’ll play, but I’ll be ready if they want me to go in,” Osborne told Desert Wave Media on Thursday.
The Mercury drafted Osborne with the 25th overall pick (third round) in the 2024 WNBA Draft. She participated in the team’s training camp in San Diego and played in two preseason games before being waived on May 11.
“It’s so good,” Osborne said about how it feels to be back with the team. “It is so good to see everyone and just be back in this environment. It’s been nothing but good vibes since I’ve been back so I’m so excited.”
“It’s tough getting cut and then still wanting to play and work hard,” Osborne added. “People around me, just a credit to them for believing in me and telling me to keep going and just being patient.”
In the two preseason games, Osborne averaged four points, one rebound and one assist in 9 1/2 minutes.
“I think once the (Brittney Griner) injury happened it kind of shifted our roster a little bit,” Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts said. “And we needed to get some more size. Obviously, (Bertsch) had just been coming over from overseas. We thought (Osborne) had a great camp and because of that injury, we had to get some more size early and see how it played out and we’re excited (Osborne) is back.”
In eight appearances this season, Bertsch averaged 2.6 points and 1.5 rebounds in 9.8 minutes per game.
Osborne, a Fontana, California native, said it was easier coming back to the Mercury “being so close to home,” and already knowing the team’s plays.
“I did a lot of training. I was training like six days a week and then I also was still in school, so I was finishing school at UCLA, so just balancing those two,” Osborne said.
Osborne averaged 14.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.5 steals per game across five seasons at UCLA.
The 5-foot-9 guard from UCLA was a four-time All-Pac-12 and two-time All-Pac-12 Defensive Team selection.
Known for her play on defense, Osborne wants to continue to be known for her capabilities in the WNBA.
“I think I bring a lot of defensive intensity. I know that’s something that they really want out of me,” Osborne said. “I think that’s the biggest thing. Just being a pest on defense, and on offense, just making plays when I can.”
“I think defensively just the competitive spirit,” Tibbetts said about what Osborne brings to the Mercury. “I mean she can guard one, two and threes. She’s tough, she’s physical and then also just another ball handler that we can have on the second side ... “
Osborne was also UCLA’s all-time leader in games played and 3-pointers made.
After former Oregon Duck and current New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu, Osborne finished her collegiate career as the second guard in Pac-12 conference history to record 2,000-plus points and 800-plus rebounds.
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