Image via Phoenix Mercury Instagram
Brittney Griner has signed to a one-year contract with the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA.
Authorities at a Moscow airport discovered cannabis oil in the American’s bag, leading to her detention on drug-related charges in Russia in February 2022.
She was then given a nine-year prison term before being exchanged for a prisoner in December and coming back to the United States.
When announcing Griner’s signing, Phoenix general manager Jim Pitman stated it was “a great day for all of us.”
“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 organisation, and within our community was greatly missed,” he said.
“We will continue to use the resources of our organisation 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.”
Phoenix selected Griner with the first overall pick in the 2013 WNBA draft, and she was crucial in their 2014 WNBA championship victory.
Before being imprisoned in Russia right before the nation invaded Ukraine, the 32-year-old played for them for nine seasons.
During 2014, when the WNBA was not in season, Griner had been playing basketball in Russia.
She is perhaps the best female basketball player of all time, winning two Olympic gold medals and being selected to the WNBA All-Star team eight times. She played her final game for Phoenix in 2021.