The three-time WNBA champion Phoenix Mercury today announced the signing of veteran point guard Lindsey Harding. Harding began the season with the New York Liberty, with who she averaged 3.6 points and 4.2 assists in 22.9 minutes per game in five games.
Harding is a former No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA Draft, who was actually selected by Phoenix in 2007 before her rights were traded to the Minnesota Lynx in exchange for Tangela Smith, a key contributor to the Mercury’s 2007 and 2009 championship teams.
A nine-year WNBA veteran with Minnesota (2007-08), Washington (2009-10), Atlanta (2011-12), Los Angeles (2013-14) and New York, Harding owns career averages of 10.3, 3.0 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.1 steals in 249 games (210 starts). Harding has finished in the top-eight in the league in total assists four times in her career, and currently ranks 18th on the WNBA’s all-time assists chart (1,046 assists) and her 4.2-assist career average is 14th on the league’s all-time list.
A graduate of Duke University, Harding’s best statistical season as a pro came in 2009 with Washington when she averaged a career-best 12.8 points per contest to go along with 4.0 assists per game. In 2013, Harding ranked fourth in the league in total assists, finishing just 27 assists behind new teammate Diana Taurasi, who co-led the league in assists that year.
Harding’s first game with the Mercury will be Friday night in Washington as Phoenix takes on the Mystics in a 4 p.m. Phoenix time start. The Mercury’s roster now stands at 12.