Brittney Griner is now officially a Phoenix Mercury player once again. She re-signed with the franchise to return to the WNBA after spending a year on the sidelines. Griner spent 10 months in a Russian prison after being caught with marijuana, which sparked plenty of controversies. In the end, US president Joe Biden and the government managed to negotiate a prisoner swap with Russia. The US ended up sending Viktor Bout the other way, who had some words for the basketball player as well.
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Brittney has not addressed the world many times since her return to the country. She posted a statement on Instagram and thanked the US president for bringing her home, and also expressed her confidence in the country’s ability to bring back Paul Whelan as well.
For those who don’t know, Whelan is an ex-US marine who has been jailed in Russia for quite some time now. Brittney’s release sparked a huge debate as many demanded Whelan’s release as well. Along with that, Griner also addressed the Phoenix Mercury franchise and thanked its players and staff.
When will Brittney Griner play her first WNBA game?
Griner recently signed a 1-year contract worth $165,100. It has been confirmed that Griner will play in the 2022-23 WNBA season. The pre-season will begin on May 5, 2023, and the regular season will officially start on May 19. Fans can expect Brittney to take her time before returning to the court, considering the time she has spent off it in the last year.
Brittney Griner is back on the court 🙌 @HighlightHER
(via @PhoenixMercury) pic.twitter.com/7nHUclNosA
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 22, 2023
Griner was recently spotted setting foot on the basketball court once again and was all smiles. She looked different than what fans are used to seeing, mainly because of the difference in her hairstyle. For those who don’t know, Brittney cut her hair and got rid of the dreads while she was imprisoned. The main reason for this was the weather.
Found a note in the locker room, my friends 🤗 pic.twitter.com/OwA5IwxuSZ
— Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) February 21, 2023
Ahead of her much-awaited return to the league, Griner also wrote, “I’m back mf!” on a whiteboard along with her signature and her jersey number. The Mercury franchise posted this on their official Twitter handle as well. Griner may not be a starter for the Mercury right away, but we can expect her to put in a shift in the coming season, which is what she has done over the years.