Bridget Pettis (born January 1, 1971) is an American former college and professional basketball player who was a guard in the WNBA for eight seasons during the 1990s and 2000s.
In her first playoff appearance on August 28, 1997, Pettis recorded 4 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals, but the Mercury fell short to the New York Liberty 41 - 59 and were eliminated.
In the semi-finals, Pettis recorded her first double-double of 27 points and 11 rebounds and helped the Mercury overcome the Cleveland Rockers in a 71 - 60 closeout game on August 25, 1998.
This remained as the biggest playoff loss in Mercury history until the 2011 Western Conference Finals, where they lost to the Lynx by 28 points on September 22, 2011.
Pettis completely missed the 2004 and 2005 WNBA seasons, but on April 20, 2006, she signed a contract with her former team Phoenix Mercury and played her final year with them.
[12] The purpose of Project Roots is to educate and feed the homeless through a mobile kitchen service and local community garden.
This is the impact I want to leave for my community and my family.”[13] Notre Dame star and 2013 3rd overall pick Skylar Diggins-Smith has strongly credited Pettis for being a helpful mentor throughout her WNBA career.
After averaging 8.5 points and 3.8 assists as a starter in her rookie season for the Shock, Diggins-Smith was very discouraged in continuing her WNBA career and felt that going overseas would be the better option.
Initially, her time away from the league made her question whether or not she wanted to continue her WNBA career at all, due to complications of postpartum depression and weight issues.
But Diggins-Smith has gone on record stating that Pettis' grace, compassion and helpful training has reignited her spark to continue her basketball career.