The Phoenix Mercury have not done well as a team this season, but their two top players have been recognized individually. Center Brittney Griner and guard Diana Taurasi are among the top-30 vote getters in the first return of fan votes for the 2023 WNBA All-Star Game.

Griner is ranked No. 3 with 28,387 votes. Taurasi is No. 16 with 12,777 votes. Fans account for 50 percent of the All-Star voting, while players and a media panel each account for 25 percent.

Brittney Griner leads the Mercury in scoring (20.1 points per game) and rebounding (6.5). She is in her first year back in the WNBA after she missed the 2021 season while being detained and later imprisoned in Russia.

Griner's return has warmed the hearts of WNBA fans and made her play especially meaningful. She is ranked behind Las Vegas Aces forward A'ja Wilson and New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart among the top vote-getters.

Griner was selected as an honorary All-Star last season, which is her eighth appearance. She is still one of the top players in the league and is likely to be named to an All-WNBA team at the end of the season.

Diana Taurasi is regarded as the best women's basketball player ever by some. She is in her 19th season and ranks second on the Mercury in scoring (15.3 points) and first in assists (6.0). At 41 years old, she still has a claim as a very good player.

The Mercury are also pushing guard Sophie Cunningham as an All-Star, but she was not among the top-30 vote-getters in the first return.

Phoenix has a 2-6 record and is looking to find a rhythm. Cunningham said “enough is enough” about the team's play.

“I'm tired of losing,” Cunningham said. “I'm ready to catch a rhythm with our team.”