Phoenix Mercury sign 6-2 forward Sonja Petrovic
The Phoenix Mercury signed 6-2 forward Sonja Petrovic (Belgrade, Serbia). Petrovic is in her second season with ZVVZ USK Praha in the Czech League, and has one full year of WNBA experience after spending the 2012 season with the Chicago Sky.
From the Mercury:
“Sonja is without question one of the top players in Europe right now, and the addition of a coveted international player like this is a big win for the Mercury,” said Mercury General Manager Jim Pitman. “This is a player who has exceled in the European League, who fans will see at the Olympics this summer, and who we think can make a difference on our already very talented roster this year and beyond.”
Petrovic, 27, is averaging a career-high and team-leading 16.9 points for Praha, which is widely regarded as one of the top international teams alongside Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner’s Ekaterinburg club, and DeWanna Bonner’s Orenburg squad. Petrovic’s current team also features Mercury All-Star forward Candice Dupree and guard Marta Xargay. In addition to her scoring punch, Petrovic’s all-around game this season includes a 7.1-rebound average, as well as 2.2 steals per contest, fourth-most in EuroLeague play. She is shooting 38.5 percent from three-point range, and a team-high 92.6 percent from the free throw line.
Petrovic is the leading scorer among non-Americans in the EuroLeague, and ranks third overall in scoring behind only new teammate Taurasi (21.3) and two-time WNBA All-Star Nneka Ogwumike (17.7) of the Los Angeles Sparks. This season marks the third-straight year Petrovic has averaged at least 13 points and seven rebounds in EuroLeague play, one of only four players to do so (Bonner, LaToya Sanders and Jantel Lavender).
Petrovic has also garnered praise for her play as a member of the Serbian national team, where last year she helped lead her home nation to an improbable run in the 2015 European Women’s Basketball Championships, culminating in a win over Spain in the championship game and automatic qualification for the 2016 Summer Olympics. She is currently in the midst of leading Serbia to a 3-1 record in the ongoing FIBA EuroBasket Qualifiers for 2017, averaging a team-high 17.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists.
Selected 26th overall in the 2009 WNBA draft by the San Antonio Stars, Petrovic was traded to Chicago on March 14, 2012, where she averaged 4.8 points and 2.3 rebounds in 30 games for the Sky during the 2012 season. The 27-year old has played professionally in Serbia, Russia and Spain.
