Phoenix Mercury’s spectacular rise this season can be very directly credited to its newest addition. Ironically, it was the player they beat almost a decade ago. After losing to Phoenix as a Connecticut Suns player in 2018, Alyssa Thomas turned her focus outside the WNBA. She built her fame internationally and returned to the home ground this season. And the best part? There’s some MVP chatter around her.
Newer fans – those that entered the fold in 2024 – might feel she came out of nowhere and dominated to make it to the All-Star Weekend. Just who is Alyssa Thomas? Through the WNBA to international leagues, the Olympics, and back here to Unrivaled, this is a homegrown superstar who deserves her flowers.
What is Alyssa Thomas’ Ethnicity?
Born on April 12, 1992, Alyssa Thomas grew up in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA, in a mixed-race American household. She is one of three children born to Bobby Thomas and Tina Klotzbeecher-Thomas, both alumni of Millersville University of Pennsylvania, where they played Division II basketball.
Her mother, Tina is a basketball coach at Milton Hershey School. She is the reason why Alyssa played basketball (a sport she hated when she was introduced to it at 5).
Alyssa Thomas’ biracial identity wasn’t at the forefront as much until recently when she slammed alleged racism from the Indiana Fever fanbase. “I think in my 11-year career I’ve never experienced the racial comments from the Indiana Fever fan base,” Thomas told the media after beating Caitlin Clark’s team last season. The Indiana Fever, Connecticut Sun, and the WNBA hit at fans for the intolerable behavior after her comments.
What is Alyssa Thomas’ Religion?
There is no public information or credible sources confirming Alyssa Thomas’s religious beliefs or faith background. As of now, she has not discussed any religious affiliation in interviews, profiles, or biographies.
What is Alyssa Thomas’ Nationality?
As an American national, Alyssa Thomas led Team USA to three golds – at the 2012 World Championship in Athens, the 3×3 World Cup in Australia in 2022, and again at the 2024 Olympics.
Before staying back for Unrivaled this year, Thomas spent her offseason overseas. She initially played in South Korea for Bucheon KEB Hana Bank, leading the league in scoring and rebounding, averaging 19 points and 11.1 rebounds per game. She played in Turkey the following season before returning to the Korean League. In 2018 she played in Czech League.
Some claim it was when she played in the EuroLeague Women that she emerged as the one to beat. Especially when she won the 2022–23 title of The Defensive Player of the Year.
She had the chance to join the Tokyo Olympics until injury struck. After that, she realized how much she needed the offseason to recover at home. “Coach [Cheryl] Reeve called me a few years ago, when I was overseas, and asked me why I was away from USA Basketball. I explained that I rather just have my breaks during those down times,” she revealed ahead of the Paris games.
“I think you can see the market changing,” Thomas said before she was traded from Sun to Phoenix. “More and more people aren’t going overseas, and [they] want to stay in market and train.” That’s how she signed with Unrivaled.
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