The Countdown For Griner’s Return Can Officially Begin

More than a year after she was detained in Moscow for possessing vape cartridges and cannabis oil in her luggage, Brittney Griner has signed a one-year, $165,100 contract with the Phoenix Mercury. After a prisoner swap with Russia in December 2022, Griner is now confirmed to make her long-awaited WNBA return in May 2023. 

Despite posting on Instagram in December of her intent to play with Phoenix, Brittney is finally officially able to say that she is a part of the Mercury again with the new contract being signed. Griner has been a team member since 2013, and she even took less pay this time to remain a member. The six-time all-star, two-time defensive player of the year, gold medalist, and WNBA champion could have requested around $70,000 more but ultimately chose not to. She has shown several times over the past year how much dedication she has to the sport of basketball and her home for ten years and counting, Phoenix.

The Mercury star’s first game of the 2023 season on May 19th and first home game on May 21st will mean way more than just a season debut like her teammates. Griner will be playing her first game of professional basketball since her team’s loss to the Chicago Sky in 2021. There will be an incredible amount of pressure on the Mercury and, of course, Griner herself. All eyes will be on Brittney in this historic moment, and she cannot disappoint.