Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner will be honored by Baylor, her alma mater, with a jersey retirement before the Bears’ home game against Texas Tech on Sunday, Feb. 18.
Griner expressed her gratitude to the program for the gesture.
“I'm honored to return home to Baylor and celebrate where so much of my journey started,” Griner said. “I'm grateful to Coach Nicki (Collen) and the entire Baylor community and looking forward to the opportunity to be back on campus, spend time with the team and have my family beside me to share in this incredible moment. Sic ‘Em Bears.”
Griner played for Baylor from 2009 to 2013. During that time, she became an NCAA champion, the Final Four Most Outstanding Player, two-time national player of the year, three-time All-American, three-time Big 12 Player of the Year, and four-time Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. She played under now-LSU head coach Kim Mulkey while in Waco.
Griner’s jersey will be the seventh in Baylor women’s basketball program history to be retired.
No one greater in a @BaylorWBB jersey.
2.18.24
#SicEm pic.twitter.com/tSIZVWBTBj— Baylor Women's Basketball (@BaylorWBB) January 29, 2024
“We're excited to have Brittney back on campus and honor her with the retirement of her jersey,” Baylor Coach Nicki Collen said. “I have been saying this since I arrived at Baylor that she deserves to have her jersey retired and I wanted to make sure that happened when the timing was right. With the opening of Foster Pavilion, and the WNBA offseason fitting into our season, this seemed like the right time to honor Brittney and welcome her back home. She is one of the best basketball players in Baylor's history and we're thrilled that the time has come to celebrate Brittney and all of her accomplishments.”
From Baylor basketball to the WNBA
After graduating from Baylor in 2013, Griner was selected first overall by the Mercury in the 2013 WNBA draft. She has since solidified herself as one of the best players in the league; she is a nine-time All-Star, six-time All-WNBA selection, and a 2014 WNBA champion.
Interrupting her professional career was her controversial arrest and imprisonment in Russia in 2022. While playing in the women's league in Russia, she was detained and arrested on charges of drug smuggling. Her arrest, imprisonment, and trial garnered international attention, with President Joe Biden ultimately agreeing to a prisoner swap with Russia to free her from prison and ensure her return to the United States in December 2022.
After missing the 2022 season due to the incident, Griner returned to the WNBA and the Mercury in 2023. She posted game averages of 17.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks. In addition, she became the Mercury’s all-time rebounds leader in August.
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