 She was brought in to back up All-Star point guard Diana Taurasi, and coach Sandy Brondello, who worked with Harding while she was with the Sparks, felt that she fit the position.Harding appeared in 21 regular season games and then 5 playoff games while helping the Mercury advance all the way to the league semifinals.Following the team's elimination by the Minnesota Lynx, Harding announced her retirement from the WNBA after playing 9 seasons in the league.