The matchup between the Connecticut Sun and the Phoenix Mercury on August 7 was notable for many reasons. The game was close, and Sun legend Alyssa Thomas, despite now playing for the opposing team, was honored before the game with a jersey retirement. However, another incident involving Thomas caught all the attention.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
In the second quarter of the game, Thomas collided with Sun forward Diamond Miller, sending both to the floor. While Thomas seemed to be fine, Miller stayed on the ground for a while, and many saw her grab her leg as she went down. The Connecticut bench quickly surrounded her to make sure she was okay. Reporter Maggie Vanoni was one of many who noticed the incident, and she posted about it on X. Thankfully, she had some good news for the fans.
After getting some initial check-up, Miller walked off the court on her own power. However, she was visibly in pain as she headed to the locker room.
In fact, it was clear from the expression on Miller’s face that she was in tears, and later used a towel to cover her face. In a positive development, Miller was able to return to play, walking back to the bench about ten minutes later, and was seen smiling during the halftime break. Later, she made her mark on the game.
Before the break, she had made just one shot, tallying only two points. However, she turned it around, hitting two big threes for seven points, adding four rebounds, as well as an assist.
In one notable sequence, she blocked Thomas, got the defensive rebound, and took a hard foul, energizing the crowd, who responded with cheers and chants. Miller also crossed 900 career points in the fourth quarter tonight, marking a big night in what ended up as a win for the Sun.
This was a spoiler for Thomas, who was honored as one of the Sun’s all-time greats before the game. With the Sun set to move to Houston next year, Thomas, who is the franchise’s leader in points, rebounds, assists, games played, and minutes, had her jersey retired, with both sides coming together to celebrate her career. Her teammates wore shirts with the number 25, with her partner DeWanna Bonner having a special bedazzled version.
However, the game went away from the Mercury as Kelsey Plum’s game-tying shot in the last second of the game was blocked by Brittney Griner, sealing a 75-72 win for the Sun on an important night for both the team and its legend.