Former Phoenix Mercury center/forward Adrian Williams-Strong will serve as Cheryl Miller’s assistant head coach for the WNBA All-Stars when they take on Team USA as part of WBNA All-Star Weekend in Phoenix.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Burn City Sports Managing Editor J Russell caught up with her at the WNBA All-Star Weekend in Phoenix. Williams-Strong will get the opportunity to coach some of the best WNBA players against the Olympic team. It also serves as a homecoming, being able to do so in the same city her professional career started. When she got the call to coach the WNBA All-Star team, she didn’t believe it at first.
“At first I was like you’re kidding,” said Williams-Strong. “I don’t think I processed it for the first minute. And I’m like ‘Wait a minute, are you asking me for real?’ And so I was really excited and overwhelmed and overcome. A lot of emotions like joy, honor, just so many emotions, so I cried. When I grabbed my son, I went and told him, because we watch the games together. It’s a privilege and honor.”
Williams-Strong, 47, was drafted by the Mercury out of USC in the second round of the 2000 WNBA draft, spending the first four and a half seasons of her career in Phoenix. She was named a WNBA All-Star in the 2003 season when she averaged 9.8 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. 21 years later, she’ll have another opportunity to participate in the event as an honorary coach.
The WBNA All-Star team features some of the best players in the league that aren’t on the olympic team. The All-Star team is headlined by Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Jonquel Jones, Allisha Gray, and others. Williams-Strong says the job is different at this level, having the opportunity to coach the best of the best.
The WNBA All-Star Weekend has really stepped up the festivities this year, taking on more of the feel of an NBA event. The game has significantly grown since Williams-Strong entered the league with Phoenix 24 years ago. The talent pool has significantly increased, with more opportunities in the WNBA created by stars like her former teammate Diana Taurasi. Now she’ll have a chance to coach the next generation of stars, headlined by Clark and Reese.
“As an honorary coach, I feel like I’m representing the former players that came up with me and it’s like ‘Look what we built’. Look at all of the things the players now get because of the little things that we did like throwing t-shirts into the crowd after we lost again. I’m proud and we’re not competitive with the other players, we’re happy for them.”
The WNBA continues to grow in value, as the Athletic reports that the league is about to sign a $2.2 billion rights deal for the next 11 years. That’s a monumental increase from the $60 million a year they were getting previously. Miller slammed the deal as being low-ball, believing the WNBA needs tougher, more fair negotiators and that women’s basketball is in a great place.
“I trust what Cheryl says, so when they said $2 billion I would have been happy,” said Williams-Strong. “But if she says we’re valued more, let’s go for more then.”
The WNBA All-Star team will take on the Women’s National Team at Footprint Center at 5:30 P.M. MST.
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Michael McDermott covers the Arizona Diamondbacks, Arizona Cardinals, and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @MichaelMcDMLB
