Brittney Griner Officially Re-Signs With WNBA Phoenix Mercury For 2023
Friday, December 16, 2022 at 03:26PM By Barry Janoff
UPDATED February 21, 2023: The WNBA Phoenix Mercury have officially re-signed center Brittney Griner, the team said Tuesday.
Griner was selected with the No. 1 overall pick by Phoenix in the 2013 WNBA Draft.
According to Mercury GM Jim Pitman via the team. “It’s a great day for all of us to announce that Brittney Griner has officially signed to play for the Mercury in 2023.
“We missed BG every day that she was gone and, while basketball was not our primary concern, her presence on the floor, in our locker room, around our organization, and within our community was greatly missed.
“We will continue to use the resources of our organization to support her, on and off the floor, and we are thrilled for her that she gets to return to basketball, which she loves so dearly.
“This is a special signing and today is a special day for all of us.”
December 16, 2022: Brittney Griner said she is heading back to the WNBA.
Griner, who returned to the U.S. on Dec. 8 after being imprisoned in Russia since February, included her plan to join the Phoenix Mercury for the 2023 season as part of a longer message she posted to her social media platform today.
“It feels so good to be home!” she wrote. “The last 10 months have been a battle at every turn. I dug deep to keep my faith and it was the love from so many of you that helped keep me going. From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone for your help.
“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.”
Griner, a perennial WNBA all-star, missed the entire 2022 season but was omni-present via a BG42 logo on league courts, WNBA players continually speaking about her and through various efforts in communities nationwide.
Griner was named a honorary member of the All-Star Game, a decal of her No. 42 was on the court at Wintrust Arena, home for the host Chicago Sky, and she was the focus of “We Are BG!” rallies and media gatherings in conjunction with WNBA All-Star Game events.
Before the game, every WNBA All-Star wore the No. 42 and the name Griner on the back of all their warm-up shirts.
The Mercury open their 2023 season visiting the Los Angeles Sparks on May 19 and play their first home game on May 21 against the Chicago Sky.
Training camp would begin earlier that month.
The WNBA and Mercury have paid her salary and kept a spot for her on the team roster, also allowing Griner to decide on her own terms what she planned for the future.
“There has not been a day over the past ten months where we all haven’t had Brittney Griner on our minds and in our hearts and that has now turned into a collective wave of joy and relief knowing that she will soon be reunited with her family, the WNBA player community, and her friends,” commissioner Cathy Engelbert posted to social media on Dec. 8.
Griner’s own message specifically thanked numerous people who helped to get her home.
“I am grateful to each person who advocated for me, especially my wife, Cherelle Griner, my family, Lindsay Kagawa Colas and Casey Wasserman and my whole team at Wasserman, Vince Kozar and the Phoenix Mercury, the players of the WNBA, and my entire WNBA family, Terri Jackson and the WNBPA staff, my Russian legal team Maria Blagovolina and Alex Boykov, the leaders, activists, and grassroots organizations, Gov. Richardson and Mickey Bergman of the Richardson Center, the Bring Our Families Home Campaign, Roger Carstens and the SPEHA team, and of course, a special thank you to President Biden, Vice President Harris, Secretary Blinken and the entire Biden-Harris Administration.
“President Biden, you brought me home and I know you are committed to bringing Paul Whelan and all Americans home too. I will use my platform to do whatever I can to help you. I also encourage everyone that played a part in bringing me home to continue their efforts to bring all Americans home. Every family deserves to be whole.
“As I transition home to enjoy the holidays with my family, I want to acknowledge and thank the entire PISA staff and medical team at the San Antonio Fort Sam Houston Base. I appreciate the time and care to make sure I was okay and equipped with the tools for this new journey.”
Photo: Phoenix Mercury
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