Phoenix Mercury star Alyssa Thomas, shown here in a July 14 game against Golden State, was voted the WNBA's biggest trash talker in a player survey conducted by the Athletic. Photo: Brandon Vallance/Getty Images
State of play: In the anonymous poll of 39 players from all 13 franchises — no rookies were included to best represent veterans' views — 28.6% of respondents picked the Mercury.
The New York Liberty were second, with 25.7%.
Players couldn't vote for their own teams.
Zoom in: Players cited Phoenix's investment in the franchise, with one telling The Athletic, "It's cool to see that, they raised the bar with their facility and stuff."
The team unveiled a new $100 million practice facility last summer, next to a new office complex the Suns, who share an owner with the Mercury, opened months earlier, south of downtown Phoenix.
1 big trash talker: Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas was voted by her fellow players as the WNBA's biggest trash talker, garnering 13 of 36 votes.
"She smiles and talks s—, that's the crazy part, it's psycho stuff, she's crazy, man," one player said.
"Everyone knows AT talks s—. I don't even guard her, and she talks s— to me," commented another.
Yes, but: The Athletic noted that, like retired Mercury star Diana Taurasi — the "runaway winner" in the category two years ago — Thomas backs up her trash talk with her game.
She leads the league in assists with 9.5 per game and received one vote in the survey for best WNBA player (ultimately, Minnesota's Napheesa Collier won).
What we're watching: Going into this weekend's All-Star Game, the Mercury are on a roll, sporting the league's third-best record and leading power rankings for The Athletic, Sports Illustrated, CBS Sports and NBC Sports.
