Phoenix Mercury celebrate new Ring of Honor banners during halftime ceremony
The team presented new banners to honor team legends Jennifer Gillom, Cheryl Miller, Bridget Pettis, Penny Taylor and Michele Timms.
PHOENIX — The Phoenix Mercury unveiled permanent banners for their Ring of Honor members during a halftime ceremony in their home-opening, 88-85 victory over the Atlanta Dream at Footprint Center on Saturday.
The team presented new banners to honor team legends Jennifer Gillom, Cheryl Miller, Bridget Pettis, Penny Taylor and Michele Timms.
Miller could not attend the ceremony due to knee-replacement surgery but had a special message that played on the jumbotron.
“Look, some of my fondest and favorite memories came from the years that I spent as a small part of the Mercury organization and it is truly a privilege to be honored with these amazing players as a member of the Ring of Honor,” Miller said. “Y’all have made the Phoenix Mercury who they are today. And I said the first day I landed in Phoenix that y’all are the best fans of all time around the world.”
Timms, Gillom, Miller and Pettis were originally inducted on June 6, 2006, while Taylor was later inducted on July 9, 2017.
When the arena was renovated in 2020, the old banners hanging in the rafters were swapped for an ever-changing LED ribbon board that sat just below the upper deck.
The new banners commemorating the members of the Mercury’s Ring of Honor are hanging from the rafters above the east sideline of the seating bowl (opposite of the Phoenix Suns’ Ring of Honor banners that are hanging from above the west sideline of the seating bowl).
“I think it’s huge,” Mercury guard Sophie Cunningham said about the Ring of Honor. Cunningham had 10 points, six rebounds and five steals in Saturday’s victory. “I think it’s something that should have always been happening. I love that our new ownership and our front office is celebrating the people who came before us in order for us to do what we want to do.
“I think any time that you can think about the history and the people who came before you it gives you a sense of gratitude and appreciation for what you have, what they didn’t have. Back then they were hard-nosed they didn’t get anything. And just to see who was the very first member of the Mercury, the very first person who made a shot for the Mercury, it gives you some pride to wear that across your chest.”
Each player’s uniform number and last name are presented on the banners of the player inductees, while former coach and general manager Miller has her years of service and last name featured on her banner.
“There’s just a sense of family, togetherness,” Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts said about the Ring of Honor ceremony. “You know there’s only 12 teams in this league and knowing the history is so important, especially for our young players and it was a great scene this morning at shootaround when they were there. Just a really cool vibe and hearing them tell stories about what those players had done and where they had been.”
Other former Mercury alumni were invited to the game to witness the celebration of the honorees. Each Mercury Ring of Honor member was also gifted a custom Shinola watch.
Murals of the legends were painted by local artists Antoinette Cauley and Paige Reesor and are displayed around the concourse of the upper level of the arena.
Miller served as the team’s first head coach and general manager.
She coached the Mercury from 1997-2000 and guided the team to three playoff appearances and a spot in the 1998 WNBA Finals.
The former USC player and coach was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame’s Class of 1995.
Gillom became the first player in franchise history after she was assigned to the Mercury during the league’s initial player allocation.
Gillom played for the Mercury from 1997-2002 and helped the Mercury reach the playoffs in three of the team’s first four seasons. A 1999 WNBA All-Star, she was named to the All-WNBA First Team in 1998 and the All-WNBA Second Team in 1997.
She received the Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award in 2002. The annual award is given to the player who best "exemplifies the ideals of sportsmanship on the court—ethical behavior, fair play and integrity."
Gillom became the head coach of the Xavier College Prep basketball team in 2004. She coached the Gators from 2004-2010 before coaching in the WNBA for the Minnesota Lynx, Los Angeles Sparks, Washington Mystics and Connecticut Sun. She returned to Xavier in 2017 and guided the Gators to their first-ever state title in 2024.
She was also inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Knoxville, Tennessee in 2009.
“It’s a great feeling just to reminisce about our past and all the fond memories we’ve had and all the special plays we made together,” Gillom said. “Just being here and seeing each other again is such a great feeling.”
Timms became the second player in franchise history after she was assigned to the Mercury during the league’s initial player allocation. The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame point guard and Melbourne native spent 1997-2001 in Phoenix and helped lead the Mercury to a 1998 WNBA Finals appearance before falling to the Houston Comets in the best-of-three series.
Saturday was the first time Timms had been back in Phoenix in 18 years.
“Mat (Ishbia) brought me back and I can’t thank him and the Phoenix organization enough,” Timms said. “When I got a call to see if I’d like to come back I was like ‘Yeah, it’s time, I haven’t been back for so long.’ I was so excited to get here.
“I just can’t believe how much it’s changed here in Phoenix from the venue to everything outside, but as I said, one thing that’s stayed the same is the X-Factor.”
Timms had her No. 7 retired by the Phoenix Mercury in 2002, becoming the second player ever to have their jersey retired in the WNBA. The 1999 WNBA All-Star still ranks in the Mercury’s top five all-time assists and steals lists.
“Timms paved a path for Australians to come to the WNBA,” Taylor said. “She was so well respected that we had respect built in and we made that as a goal for us, so we can’t thank her enough for what she’s done. I just love that the history is being honored. It’s so important to remember where you started and all of these women are the reason we were able to play the game.”
The No. 7 overall pick in the 1997 WNBA Draft, Pettis became the first player in team history to score for the Mercury in the team’s inaugural game. She spent 1997-2001 in Phoenix (and later the 2006 season) and set a franchise record of 154 consecutive games played. She later served as an assistant coach for the Mercury from 2006-2009 and helped the team to WNBA Championships in 2007 and 2009.
“It’s just special,” Pettis said. “You never play basketball imagining this. You play just because you love the game and it’s just taken us so far and we’re just so grateful. I’m just grateful from the bottom of my heart and just for the next generations to come to know that this is here for them and we did our part.
“You never believe that you’re gonna be a historian in life but I mean how phenomenal that is that the league has been around 28 years and it’s been around with purpose to make it better and better and to encourage and inspire our youth and our communities. It’s been a beautiful way of bridging our community together with the WNBA and I’m just grateful that we’ve all been selected to be a part of this generation the Phoenix Mercury.”
A former Cleveland Rocker, Taylor was selected first overall by the Mercury in the 2004 Cleveland Dispersal Draft. The Melbourne native played 10 seasons with the Mercury and went on to win three WNBA championships with Phoenix (2007, 2009 and 2014) before later serving as the team’s Director of Player Development and Performance and subsequently an assistant coach for the franchise in 2019.
Taylor was a three-time WNBA All-Star and was named to the All-WNBA First Team in 2007 and All-WNBA Second Team in 2011.
On May 13, 2017, Taylor married Phoenix Mercury guard Diana Taurasi. Taylor and Taurasi are the only members of all three Mercury championship teams.
“I mean it’s huge,” Taurasi said about the team’s Ring of Honor celebration. “I think first Mat has been adamant about making sure that the history of this franchise is recognized, is appreciated, is honored. And I think it just means so much in this day and age where we talk about the people who come before us and really kept this league going at the beginning. And when you talk about Cheryl, when you talk about ‘Timmsey,’ Bridget, Penny, I mean those are names that everyone knows and that made this franchise what it is today.”
Taurasi had 15 points, seven rebounds, two assists and a steal in the win.
The Mercury defeated the Dream 88-85 on Saturday and improved to 1-1 on the season. The Mercury are back in action on Tuesday when they return to Las Vegas to play against the Aces again.
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