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Phoenix Mercury’s Bria Hartley out for season with torn ACL

ryan young
Staff writer
·2 min read

Phoenix Mercury guard Bria Hartley’s season is over.

Hartley, the team announced on Sunday, is out for the year after suffering a brutal knee injury on Friday.

“It’s not a good injury,” Phoenix coach Sandy Brondello said before their 83-79 win against the Minnesota Lynx inside the WNBA bubble at IMG Academy, via the Arizona Republic.

Update (8/31): The Mercury announced Hartley suffered a torn ACL.

The recovery period is anywhere from two to nine months, but usually athletes do not return until after six months. Hartley has played overseas in Istanbul in previous years and is on the French Olympic team. The postponed games are set for next summer.

Bria Hartley’s knee injury

Hartley went down in the first half of their 88-87 win against the Washington Mystics on Friday with a non-contact knee injury and had already been ruled out of Sunday’s game.

Hartley was averaging 14.6 points and 4.5 assists per game so far this season, both career highs for the 27-year-old.

Brondello did not provide specifics about Hartley’s knee injury, though Hartley was seen using crutches during Phoenix’s game on Friday.

“Really unfortunate,” Brondello said, via ESPN. “She means so much to this team. She’s been playing great. Everyone is seeing what she is capable of. It’s been really a joy coaching her. Hopefully, she can have a speedy recovery and get back on the court with us next year.”

The Mercury are currently in sixth in the WNBA standings with an 8-7 record, though have won their last three games. The team has six games left in the regular season, starting with a matchup against the Las Vegas Aces on Tuesday.

Phoenix Mercury's Bria Hartley
Bria Hartley walks off the court on crutches after defeating the Washington Mystics at Feld Entertainment Center on Aug. 28, 2020 in Palmetto, Florida. (Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)

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