Brittney Griner returned to the United States from Russian detention and will be back in the WNBA this season.
Griner, who is 32 years old, will play with the Phoenix Mercury after she signed a 1-year, $165,100 contract in February. She helped lead the Mercury to the 2021 NBA Finals before she was arrested in Russia last February.
The Mercury released their injury report for their season-opener on the road against the Los Angeles Sparks. Griner was not listed and will play her first regular-season game.
Looks like all systems are go for Brittney Griner to make her official return to the #WNBA tonight in LA. pic.twitter.com/7mvx3O3Gjw
— Josh Weinfuss (@joshweinfuss) May 19, 2023
She played in the Mercury's preseason game against the Sparks May 12. Griner recorded 10 points on 2-of-5 shooting with three rebounds.
After the game, she felt she played like “s–” but was happy to return.
“Like I ain’t guard anybody today,” Brittney Griner said. “First game back, you know? Preseason game. Game in LA will look totally different, do totally different things. But no, (Mercury) coach (Vanessa Nygaard) was telling me to give myself grace, but that’s hard. I was happy with some of the shots that I took, but the defense, I got to be better.”
The Mercury will have their home opener Sunday, May 21 against the Chicago Sky. That will be Griner's first regular-season game at home, which should draw fans who are excited by her return.
Brittney Griner had her first press conference in the United States since her detainment April 27. She was released in December in a 1-for-1 prisoner swap for arms dealer Viktor Bout.
In the session, Griner encouraged more than 90 media members in attendance to cover the Mercury.
“I expect to see this same coverage, because we have a great product,” she said.
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