PHOENIX – The WNBA Draft is usually the first stop for new talent, but the Phoenix Mercury have a different playbook. While other teams wait for their picks, this franchise has been hunting for gems overseas. And they might have found one in Noémie Brochant — a French guard who didn’t hear her name called on draft night but has been hearing it called in the starting lineup since May 24.
Brochant, 26, was a quiet addition to a Mercury roster already loaded with established stars like Kahleah Copper and Alyssa Thomas. But what she’s brought — a near 40% three-point stroke, defensive versatility, and a motor that doesn’t quit — has turned her into more than a depth piece.
A Surprise Even to Herself
Brochant admitted that when the Mercury slid her into the first five, even she was caught off guard. “It was a surprise for me, first of all,” she said Tuesday, still adjusting to the English-language media circuit. “I try to give my best to do what I have to do to be in my role.”
Her teammate Valériane Ayayi initially drew more attention as the other French signee, but the script flipped quickly. Brochant’s ability to space the floor without needing the ball — while still being dangerous when it finds her — has made her an ideal fit alongside ball-dominant creators like Thomas and Copper.
Built for the WNBA Grind
The Mercury entered the season with a 2026-focused mindset: retool the roster, find perimeter defenders, and upgrade the backcourt with players who could guard multiple positions. Brochant checks those boxes. She’s a combo guard who thrives on the defensive end, embraces pick-and-roll challenges, and actually enjoys guarding the opponent’s best scorer.
Veteran DeWanna Bonner, who has mentored plenty of rookies over the years, sees something different in Brochant. “She’s been playing basketball as a professional for a while… she just goes out there and plays on instinct,” Bonner said. “It’s different in the W. She’s still learning the way, learning the players, learning different things that we do that they don’t do over there, like defensive 3 seconds. All of that is new to her.”
Home Away From Home
Brochant’s transition to Phoenix has been smoothed by fellow French-speaking guard Monique Akoa Makani. The two competed against each other in the French league before becoming teammates, and Akoa Makani has served as a cultural bridge and on-court sounding board.
“She’s a great basketball player. I don’t think she needed guidance,” Akoa Makani said after a recent shootaround. “I think that it was more telling her how confident she just needs to be in her game, and how we trust her to make plays, and also guard. I think she’s doing a great job at that.”
Brochant has praised the Mercury organization for its commitment to player comfort, noting that sharing facilities and locker rooms with other teams could have felt alienating. Instead, it’s just another small piece of a larger puzzle she’s solving on the fly.
A Fan Favorite in the Making
As Brochant continues to settle into the pace of the WNBA — a jump from FIBA ball that leaves some players behind — she’s quietly becoming a fan favorite. It’s not flashy. It’s not loud. But her role is clear: give her best, knock down shots, and defend like her spot depends on it. In a Mercury season built on retooling for the future, that might be exactly what the present needed.
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