Brittney Griner has signed a one-year deal with the Phoenix Mercury and intends to return to the court during the 2023 WNBA season.
Griner last suited up for the Phoenix Mercury during the 2021 WNBA season. Through 30 outings, the 2014 WNBA champion averaged 20.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. In the postseason, seven-time WNBA All-Star led the Mercury to the 2021 WNBA Finals, but ultimately fell to the Chicago Sky.
Griner was unable to play during the 2022 WNBA season because she was detained in Russia for nearly a year. On February 17, 2022, she planned to depart Russia after playing overseas. While moving through foreign customs at Sheremetyevo International Airport, authorities allegedly found vaporizer cartridges containing less than a gram of hash oil. The standard sentence for possessing less than two grams of hash is reportedly 15 days in jail. However, she received a punishment of nearly 10 years behind bars and a fine of more than $15,000. More than five months after being sentenced, the U.S. government negotiated her release and she returned to the U.S.
“I also want to make one thing very clear: I intend to play basketball for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury this season, and in doing so, I look forward to being able to say ‘thank you’ to those of you who advocated, wrote, and posted for me in person soon,” she wrote on Instagram.
In addition to signing Griner, the Mercury also locked in a new, multiyear deal with the league’s all-time leading scorer, Diana Taurasi. She will join the 2014 WNBA champion when the Mercury kick off the 2023 WNBA season at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California on May 19.
