Phoenix Mercury honor Mo’ne Davis as 2015 Woman of Inspiration

Mo’ne Davis made a name for herself playing baseball, but basketball is where she sees her future. The youngster out of Philadelphia made history last year during the Little League World Series as the first girl to both pitch a shutout and earn a win. She also became the first Little League player to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated. In the process, she inspired millions of young girls across the world.

Still, she loves basketball more than any other sport, and has said previously that she’d like to play for UConn one day. And we know she has skills, as she played varsity ball as an eighth grader. Plus we saw her clown Kevin Hart at the NBA Celebrity Game earlier this year. There’s a good chance we’ll see her with UConn and maybe even in the WNBA one day.

That’s all a long ways off of course, so for now, she’ll have to settle for cool awards, like being named the Phoenix Mercury’s 2015 Woman of Inspiration. It’s impressive to win an award like that at any age, but it’s even more so at 14.

It appears Davis made quite the impression on the Mercury locker room. Head coach Sandy Brondello had this to say:

"“I think she’s fantastic. She’s breaking barriers just like Becky Hammon is. I think it’s good for sport because women’s sport is fun to watch and it’s creating more publicity. She’s a talented young lady and she’s very inspiring.”"

While Brittney Griner added:

"“For her to be so young and doing what she’s doing, it’s big for women. It shows that not even professional atheltes can make an impact. Young athletes [can do it] too. She hasn’t even hit the tip of the iceberg, yet.”"

To watch the Mercury’s interview with Davis, you can go here. This is quite an achievement, and testament to the athlete and person Davis was, is, and will continue to be. Good on the Mercury for honoring her.