Former Phoenix Mercury interim head coach Nikki Blue is suing the organization, alleging unequal treatment and pay based on her race and gender.
The suit, filed Thursday, July 3, in U.S. District Court in Arizona, also alleges the Mercury fired Blue, 41, as retaliation for her complaints of unequal treatment.
Blue joined the Mercury in 2022 as an assistant coach and ascended to the interim head coaching role in the middle of the 2023 season after head coach Vanessa Nygaard was fired. The Mercury went 7-21 under Blue’s leadership, and she was not retained.
Blue, who is Black, claims she was paid $250,000 in her interim role, less than the $375,000 that Nygaard, who is white, made. She also accuses the Mercury of setting her up to fail by fielding an uncompetitive team in 2023.
That team, led by Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi, saw a number of players leave the previous offseason, though of those departures, only Kia Nurse is still playing in the WNBA two years later. The 2023 Mercury were also missing six-time All-Star Skylar Diggins, who did not play due to maternity leave.
After the season, the Mercury hired current head coach Nate Tibbetts, who is white. He is making more than $1 million per season, according to the AP. The Mercury went 19-21 in his first season and are 12-6 so far in 2025.
“Despite her exemplary record and professionalism, Ms. Blue was cast aside, demeaned and denied the opportunity to lead,” the law firm Mesidor PLLC, co-counsel on the case, said in a statement via the AP. “This lawsuit is not just about one woman’s career — it’s about the pervasive, institutional disrespect for Black women in sports leadership.”
Phoenix Suns and Mercury senior vice president of communications Stacey Mitch released a statement on Thursday attempting to discredit Sheree Wright, Blue’s attorney, who has been behind several lawsuits against the organization in the past, including the one that alleged former player Sophie Cunningham had an affair with team CEO Josh Bartelstein. (Both Cunningham and Bartelstein denied the allegation.)
“This is the fifth lawsuit brought against the organization by Sheree Wright, an attorney who has been disciplined twice by the Supreme Court of Arizona for committing numerous violations of the rules of professional conduct — including making false and unsupported allegations of racial bias against a judge,” Mitch said. “Like Ms. Wright’s other cases, this case is completely meritless. Ms. Blue was interviewed and considered for the head coach position, but didn’t get the position based on her performance as interim head coach, as well as her limited professional coaching experience. Sheree Wright’s continued abuse of the legal system for financial gain is unethical.”
