Nate Tibbetts Articles - Page 2

PHOENIX — The talk of the WNBA and the Phoenix Mercury was Brittney Griner’s return to the Valley of the Sun as a member of the Atlanta Dream. During her stay with the franchise for 11 seasons, she made an incredible mark. Griner won the 2014 WNBA title and multiple Defensive Player of the Year […]

Hours before the Phoenix Mercury take on the Atlanta Dream could be filled with pure emotion from Brittney Griner. The former Phoenix center has spent this season not wearing the purple and orange threads. Rather, she’s been in the ATL, that is, with the Dream. During the offseason, Griner left the Mercury and signed with […]

PHOENIX– Being in the WNBA for nine seasons usually comes with its unique history. For sharpshooting Phoenix Mercury guard Sami Whitcomb, she posted a career-high 36 points on Monday against the Dallas Wings. Her previous career-high? In 2021 with the New York Liberty, where she dropped 30 points It all began in the first quarter […]

PHOENIX– With the WNBA officially naming the All-Star reserves, Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas made the list. However, despite a near-MVP caliber season, she wasn’t named a starter. It made many believe that Thomas was worthy of representing the Mercury as an All-Star game starter. Even though this is her sixth appearance, she feels that […]

PHOENIX– After the Phoenix Mercury were in a six-game winning streak, it was eventually snapped on Sunday, courtesy of the Las Vegas Aces. Phoenix fell 84-81 in a tightly contested game that head coach Nate Tibbetts knew would happen. Throughout the winning streak, he emphasized that the team will undergo some adversity. Safe to say […]

A 3-0 start to a road trip couldn’t have been better. Just ask Phoenix Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts. Following the 89-81 takedown of the New York Liberty, it was another instance of the depth stepping up to the plate. For instance, rookie guard Monique Akoa Makani led the team with 21 points, and registered […]

PHOENIX — Alyssa Thomas’s return to the Phoenix Mercury spoiled Dallas Wings rookie phenom Paige Bueckers’s best game of her WNBA career. The latter posted 35 points and put the Wings on her back. However, the Mercury picked up their seventh win of the season. On the night, Thomas posted a double-double with 11 points […]

The Phoenix Mercury got off to a hot start this WNBA season and are clearly a playoff contender through one month of play. As it stands, the Mercury are sitting at 6-4 despite multiple injuries to top players, including Alyssa Thomas and Kahleah Copper. On Tuesday, Phoenix got an encouraging update on one of those […]

PHOENIX– Days after ESPN released their favorites for the Coach of the Year, Phoenix Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts had no time for the chatter. “A lot of people weren’t happy when I came to the league last year… We haven’t done s**t. I haven’t done anything… It is what it is.” Mercury coach Nate […]

Injuries, players leaving for Eurobasket, and a myriad of other things have Phoenix Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts’s head on a swivel. As a result, he’s looked to players like Haley Jones, Megan McConnell, and Murjanatu Musa for support. Tibbetts was brutally honest about the challenge of integrating new players immediately into the teams. Phoenix […]

An 18-point comeback showcased the Phoenix Mercury’s grit, tenacity, and defensive approach. As the Mercury missed Alyssa Thomas and two other starters, one element remained for Kathryn Westbeld, Satou Sabally, and head coach Nate Tibbetts. “Defense. The answer is always defense,” Sabally said postgame. “With that, I think the first half, we weren’t ourselves in any […]

PHOENIX– The last two Phoenix Mercury games have resulted in two wins, but neither head coach Nate Tibbetts nor star forward Satou Sabally seems pleased. Although Tibbetts was nervous about the Mercury’s start to the season, those nerves have been tossed to the wayside. As a result, he’s shifted his focus to what the star […]

Does defense win championships? Perhaps Phoenix Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts feels that way. However, defense helped the Phoenix Mercury take care of business against the Washington Mystics on Sunday. It was a brutal game from both sides. After all, the Mystics made head-shaking WNBA history with 30 turnovers (18 in the first half), while the […]

Ahead of the Phoenix Mercury-Minnesota Lynx Game 2 clash, Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts recognized the stakes of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs and echoed his message to his team. “The message was the last two and a half quarters, we played really well,” Tibbetts said pregame. “The unfortunate thing, we dug ourselves a pretty big […]

The Phoenix Mercury took home their second consecutive win, this time against the Los Angeles Sparks on Tuesday. Phoenix earned an 85-81 victory in the game. Following a Brittney Griner ejection that limited the Mercury to nine players, the task was daunting. Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts showed love to his bench postgame following a […]

The Phoenix Mercury dropped their second-straight contest at home, 89-76 against the Minnesota Lynx. The offensive woes continued, as Phoenix shot a combined 38.2% from the field. Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts shared his honest admission as to why his team is struggling to score amid an offensive slump. “We’ll have them here over the […]

The Phoenix Mercury are making an intriguing lineup change before their showdown against the Minnesota Lynx. Forward Monique Billings will start in place of Sophie Cunningham. Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts explained his decision pregame. “I think just to clean up some of the rotations for everything down the line,” Tibbetts said. “Now we can […]

As the WNBA playoffs are less than a month away, the Phoenix Mercury are in the thick of the hunt. Sitting as the No. 6 seed, the Mercury gear up for a five-game homestand, their longest of the season. They also open their stretch against the New York Liberty, who hoist the league’s best record […]

The Phoenix Mercury faced controversy over their hiring of former Orlando Magic assistant coach Nate Tibbetts as the 12th coach of their franchise. The journey begins now. pic.twitter.com/Frd38helM7 — Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) October 20, 2023 Tibbetts, who has not coached in the WNBA, is now reportedly the league’s highest-paid coach ever with the Mercury, who […]

The Phoenix Mercury on Wednesday announced their hiring of former Orlando Magic assistant Nate Tibbetts as their newest coach. Everything we do in The Valley elevates Phoenix as the epicenter of basketball. Hiring Nate Tibbetts as our next Head Coach sets a new standard for investment into our organization. pic.twitter.com/Ne6x5UORCC — Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) October […]

The Memphis Grizzlies have been granted permission to interview Portland Trail Blazers assistant Nate Tibbetts for the team’s vacancy at head coach, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Tibbetts, 41, has been with Portland since 2013. He had previously been an assistant with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons. Prior to joining the Cavaliers, […]

The Phoenix Suns have been granted permission to interview Portland Trail Blazers assistants Nate Tibbetts and David Vanterpool for the team’s opening at head coach, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Phoenix has received permission to interview Portland assistants Nate Tibbetts and David Vanterpool for franchise’s head coaching job, league sources tell ESPN. — Adrian Wojnarowski […]

It’s going to be impossible for the Golden State Warriors to replace assistant coach Luke Walton, who is taking off to be the head man with the Los Angeles Lakers after this season. Still, they’re going to try. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, the Warriors met with Portland Trail Blazers assistant Nate Tibbetts […]