Across every stop of her professional basketball journey — both with the Phoenix Mercury and through the international circuit — there are two things that have been as sure as the rising sun when it comes to Natasha Mack: stops in abundance on the defensive end, and fittingly, nonstop hustle everywhere else. With the confidence of her coaches signified through a spot in the Mercury’s starting lineup, the 2021 second-rounder zeroes in on the latter, wrestling past Kiah Stokes’ boxout for her third offensive rebound of the first quarter before swinging it back out to her hot-shooting teammate for a 3-pointer. Determined to take full advantage of her return to the WNBA after a three-year overseas venture, Mack wasn’t wasteful with her opportunity, producing six points, seven rebounds, six assists, and a pair of blocks in 22 minutes. Through invaluable contributions both on the box score and off, Mack’s hustle helped Phoenix upstage the elite Las Vegas Aces for an early-season victory on May 21, 2024. · May 22, 2024