Few would have expected the Phoenix Mercury to have the second-best record in the WNBA at the season's midpoint.

An anonymous poll of current WNBA players conducted by The Athletic has revealed that the players regard the Phoenix Mercury as the best-run franchise in the le

So, for which franchises do players most want to compete? And what do they think about a host of topics around the league, like who is the league’s best player, where should expansion head, who is the face of the league and what issues are important in the next collective bargaining agreement?

Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve was pleased with her team's effort in beating the Phoenix Mercury at home.

The Lynx superstar brought her All-Star fit best to Indianapolis, Indiana, for her fifth selection to the game.

Even though Diana Taurasi has retired, the WNBA's biggest trash talker remains in Phoenix. Taurasi held down the honor for the past two years, but now it's Mercury star Alyssa Thomas' turn. Thomas now holds the baton as the league's No. 1 trash talker, according to her peers in an anonymous poll from The Athletic.

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After back-to-back losses to the Las Vegas Aces and the Dallas Wings, the Phoenix Mercury have ripped off three victories in a row, including Monday night's thrilling 78-77 win over the Golden State Valkyries at Chase Center in San Francisco.

WNBA players surveyed in a recent poll by The Athletic's <a href=" Pickman and Sabreena Merchant believe union representatives should focus on advocating for higher player salaries when negotiating the league's next CBA.