In a tearful press conference at the Footprint Center on Tuesday Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas announced her retirement after just one transformative season with the team, citing a debilitating chronic Lyme disease diagnosis as the driving force behind her decision. The 33-year-old veteran, a three-time All-Star and perennial MVP contender, leaves behind a legacy of grit and grace, but her words echoed with the quiet resolve of a warrior forced to hang up her jersey.
Thomas’s journey to Phoenix was meant to be a coronation. Acquired in a blockbuster trade in February 2025 that sent Natasha Cloud and Rebecca Allen to Connecticut, she arrived as the missing piece in a franchise reeling from Diana Taurasi’s shocking retirement and Brittney Griner’s departure to Atlanta. Teaming with Kahleah Copper and Satou Sabally, Thomas ignited the Mercury’s engine. Her vision on the court was surgical—leading the league with eight triple-doubles in the regular season, while anchoring a defense that propelled Phoenix to the WNBA Finals. They fell in four games to the Las Vegas Aces, but Thomas’s 25-point, 12-rebound, 10-assist masterpiece in Game 3 remains etched in fans’ minds as a defiant roar.
Off the court, Thomas was the stoic leader GM Nick U’Ren envisioned: mentoring young guards, advocating for mental health, and embracing the desert heat as her new home. “Phoenix gave me a family when I needed reinvention,” she said last spring. Yet, whispers of fatigue plagued her summer. What began as nagging joint pain and unexplained exhaustion in training camp escalated into a nightmare diagnosis in October. Chronic Lyme disease, contracted during a Connecticut offseason hike years prior, had silently ravaged her system—triggering inflammation, cognitive fog, and relentless fatigue that no amount of IV antibiotics could fully quell.
Experts call it the “great imitator,” mimicking conditions like MS or fibromyalgia. For Thomas, it stole the explosive first step that defined her UConn championship days under Geno Auriemma. “I’ve fought for every loose ball, every possession,” she shared, voice cracking. “But this fight… it’s invisible, and it’s winning rounds I can’t come back from.” Her announcement caps a whirlwind year: Olympic gold in Paris, a stint in the Unrivaled 3-on-3 league, and a bold signing with the nascent Project B overseas circuit set for 2026. But Lyme’s toll proved too steep; doctors advised rest, not rebounds.
Teammates rallied in solidarity. Copper, her Finals co-captain, hugged her tightly: “Alyssa’s not retiring from life—she’s just passing the torch.” Sabally, sidelined by her own concussion woes, posted on X: “You redefined winning, sis. The desert’s forever yours.” Taurasi, now a Mercury ambassador, issued a statement: “From one legend to another: Your heart outshone your highlights. Heal, queen.”
The Mercury, fresh off a playoff push, now face an uncertain rebuild. U’Ren praised Thomas’s “unbreakable spirit,” hinting at a front-office role if she desires. Fans, still buzzing from her Finals heroics, flooded social media with #ThankYouAT25 tributes—jerseys already selling out at team stores.
Thomas’s exit underscores the WNBA’s growing pains: elite athletes pushing limits amid hidden health battles. Yet, in true form, she ended with hope. “Lyme took my court, but not my voice. I’ll advocate for awareness, for early testing—because no one should fight in silence.” As the sun sets on her Phoenix chapter, Alyssa Thomas exits not as a victim, but a victor who bared her soul. The league—and women’s sports—will miss her fire, but her light endures.
