Phoenix Mercury’s Kahleah Copper named WNBA Western Conference Player of the Week

Phoenix Mercury guard Kahleah Copper has been honored as the WNBA’s Western Conference Player of the Week for continuing a scoring tear during May 20-26.

The league announced Copper as the award recipient for the second time in her career, just hours before the sixth-place Mercury (3-2) play at the undefeated No. 1 Connecticut Sun (5-0) on Tuesday.

After Copper set her career-high 38 in the Mercury’s 88-85 home win over the Atlanta Dream on May 18, she led Phoenix to a 2-1 record last week as she averaged a league-best 29.7 points, 53.2% shooting, and 48.0% on 3-point attempts.

Copper’s game-high 37 points in Phoenix’s 98-88 win at the two-time defending champion Las Vegas Aces began that three-game stretch last Tuesday. She scored 20 in Phoenix’s 83-80 home victory over Washington on Thursday, then posted 32 in the Mercury’s 107-92 home loss to Dallas on Saturday.

Copper is a nine-year veteran, three-time All-Star, and 2021 finals MVP in her first season with Phoenix.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Mercury’s Copper named WNBA Western Conference Player of the Week