The Phoenix Mercury acquired guard Andrea Riley from the Tulsa Shock in exchange for Temeka Johnson, the team announced Thursdsay.
Riley was originally taken eighth overall in the 2010 WNBA draft by the Los Angeles Sparks following a senior season at Oklahoma State University in which she was named the 2010 Nancy Lieberman Award recipient as the nation’s top point guard. The 5-foot-5 guard averaged 26.7 points per game as a senior, becoming the first player in Big 12 history to lead the league in scoring in three straight seasons. For her efforts, she was a unanimous first-team All-Big 12 selection and a second-team All-America pick by the Associated Press.
Prior to the 2011 season, Riley was traded to Tulsa . On March 29, nine
weeks before the start of her second season in the WNBA, Riley gave
birth to a daughter, Tiana. She returned to the court and played 33 of
Tulsa’s 34 games that season, missing only the first game of the year.
Riley averaged 6.0 points and 1.8 assists in 19.0 minutes per game. She
started 10 of those 33 games, including the final five games of the
season in place of the injured Ivory Latta. In those five games as the
designated starter, Riley averaged 13.2 points and 3.8 assists.
“Andrea Riley is someone we had our eye on coming out of college,” Mercury head coach and general manager Corey Gaines said. “She is a fast guard who can score the ball and shoot the 3. She has the ability to change the pace of the game, and we think she is a player who can thrive in our system.”
The organization also thanked Johnson, with president and chief operating officer Amber Cox saying, “We thank Temeka for her contributions to this organization, including helping lead us to our second WNBA championship. She is a great ambassador for the league and in her communities, and we wish her the best.”
The move comes in the midst of WNBA free agency. Teams can begin speaking with available free agents on January 15.
