Mercury star Brittney Griner returned to the WNBA floor on Friday night for her first competitive basketball game in the league in 572 days.
In her preseason return, Griner netted 10 points and added three rebounds in a 90–71 loss to the Sparks.
Griner had not played since Game 4 of the 2021 WNBA Finals after being incarcerated in Russia for possession of drug paraphernalia in February of ’22.
In December, the United States negotiated her release from Russian prison. Now, Griner is expected to be a centerpiece to the Mercury’s title hopes after missing all of last season.
When asked about her return, Griner emphasized that she won’t be taking it for granted.
“I didn’t think I would be sitting right here,” she said. “I didn’t think I would be playing basketball this quickly. Even coming back, I didn’t know how it was going to go getting back into it. I mean, I’m grateful to be here for sure. I’m not going to take today for granted, but it was a lot to take in.”
Now that Griner had her first unofficial game out of the way, she’s ready to turn her focus to the actual basketball ahead.
“I’m glad I was able to get this one out the way before the home opener … and before we go to L.A.,” she said.
