Phoenix Mercury forward suffers ACL injury, out for 2026 season

Phoenix Mercury forward Kathryn Westbeld tore her right ACL while playing overseas in Hungary and will miss the entire 2026 season.

Westbeld walked into the practice facility on crutches with a brace on her right knee on April 28, which wasn’t a promising sign for the Mercury.

“Tough deal for her,” coach Nate Tibbetts said. “She was a big part of what we did last year and was excited to get back and was close to coming back healthy. Unfortunately, stuff like this happens.”

The 30-year-old appeared in 54 games for the Mercury, and started in 24 in her rookie season. Westbeld provided size off the bench when Tibbetts played a smaller lineup, and had 3-point shooting abilities.

Westbeld averaged 5.1 points and 2.5 rebounds per game in the regular season. In 11 postseason games, she earned 11.6 minutes, providing 2.4 rebounds and 2.3 points from the bench.

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Phoenix Mercury open 2026 training camp. Photos

Head coach Nate Tibbetts leads practice at Mercury training camp for the 2026 season at Mountain America Performance Center on April 19, 2026, in Phoenix.

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Phoenix Mercury open 2026 training camp. Photos

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Phoenix Mercury open 2026 training camp. Photos

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Phoenix Mercury open 2026 training camp. Photos

Her injury provides another open roster spot for the Mercury, which has seven players under protected contracts.

Westbeld is signed to a one-year, training camp contract, but under the new collective bargaining agreement, teams will have a minimum roster size of 12 players with two spots for developmental players. There are also salary cap exceptions for injured players.

Reach the reporter or send tips for stories at jenna.ortiz@arizonarepublic.com , as well as @jennarortiz on X.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Mercury forward Kathryn Westbeld injured, out for the season