Phoenix Mercury superstar Brittney Griner spent nearly a year in Russia due to drug charges. The Russian authorities first detained her at an airport back in February 2022, and she wasn't released until December of that year when the United States decided to do a prisoner swap and freed Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout in exchange for Griner.

Recently, Griner spoke to the media and revealed the only scenario she'll play overseas ever again after her Russia detention, per a tweet from ClutchPoints' official Twitter account: “I can say for me, I'm never going overseas to play again unless I'm representing my country at the Olympics… The whole reason a lot of us go overseas is the pay gap, to make an income, to support our families, to support ourselves.”

Brittney Griner, 32, has played nine seasons in the WNBA, all as a member of the Mercury, the team that drafted her with the No. 1 pick in the 2013 draft. During her most recent season with the Mercury back in 2021, she averaged 20.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 0.4 steals, and 1.9 blocks per game across 30 appearances this season (all starts).

Now that Griner is home and safe, she can shift her focus to the WNBA season ahead of her and winning the Mercury their first WNBA title since the year 2014, which was Griner's second season in the pros. Here's to hoping that Griner plays better than ever in the 2023 campaign and wins the second championship of her career and the fourth in Mercury franchise history.