Brittney Griner Is Officially Returning To The WNBA
Brittney Griner will be returning to the basketball court this year.
According to ESPN.com, Griner signed a one-year, $165,100 contract to once again play for the Phoenix Mercury in the upcoming 2023 season. While it was expected she would sign with the team she has played with since 2013, the news comes almost three months after the 32-year-old returned from being detained in Russia.
Griner spent 294 days in Russian custody after she was arrested in February 2022. Russian Federal Customs Service at Sheremetyevo Airport near Moscow accused her of having hashish oil vape cartridges in her luggage.
She was found guilty and sentenced to nine years. Her last few weeks were spent in a “notoriously harsh” Russian penal colony, which has reports of starvation and beatings. Griner returned to the U.S. Dec. 8, 2022.
Griner is a three-time All-Star and a two-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year and an Olympic gold medalist. The WNBA season will kick-off in May. The Phoenix Mercury are scheduled to play against the Los Angeles Sparks on May 19.