Thank you Mercury. Signed, a Suns fan

I was a Phoenix Suns fan before the Phoenix Mercury entered into existence. During the Mercury’s inaugural years in the late 90s that included a Finals matchup against the dynastic Houston Comets in 1998, the names Michele Timms, Jennifer Gillom, Bridget Pettis, Maria Stepanova, and Lisa Harrison didn’t occupy my consciousness the way the names Jason Kidd, Antonio McDyess, Clifford Robinson, Anfernee Hardaway, and Rex Chapman did. I was aware of the Mercury, sure, but there was no room in my basketball fandom for another team. I already had the Suns.