The Mercury have been amongst the best teams in the WNBA this season. They’ve held steady at the third-best record, behind the Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty. Alyssa Thomas and Satou Sabally have led the way for Phoenix thus far, along with DeWanna Bonner coming in mid-season.

Caitlin Clark has emerged as one of the biggest stars in the WNBA through her first two seasons, but some argue that she hasn't reached face of the league status.

For Clark, one of the earliest and most important influences was none other than WNBA veteran Erica Wheeler. Long before Clark was taking over games and filling arenas, Wheeler pl