Brittney Griner returned to Texas for a homecoming when the Phoenix Mercury lost 84-79 to the Dallas Wings six months after being released from a Russian prison in the WNBA star’s home state.
Before the game, she met privately with the women’s basketball team from Baylor, the campus 100 miles away where she played in a 40-0 national championship in 2012.
“Near home, the AAU team is here, my high school came up, Baylor came down.” I was really, really, really, really happy to see the Baylor team. “It meant a lot to us to have her here,” said Griner, who also had family from Houston and Little Rock at the game.
When the starting rosters for the WNBA were announced, Griner received a rousing ovation from a crowd of 4,242. She responded by applauding the crowd and then made a jump on the first shot of the game, securing the first of her 24 points.
“It was just a lot of support.” It was just nice to see everyone and just be back in Texas. “I mean, I miss being here, so it was really cool,” she said. “When I came out, love meant a lot to me.”
Brittney Griner returned to Texas for a homecoming when Phoenix Mercury played Dallas Wings
Griner received a rousing ovation from the 4,242 crowd as the starting line-ups were read out
Fans hold up a sign welcoming Griner home as she returns to playing basketball in her home state
The Mercury have only been on the road for the second time this season. For Griner, it’s the first time she’s played in her home state since missing all of last season while incarcerated in Russia for nearly 10 months on drug charges, which ended in a prisoner swap in December.
Wings forward Satou Sabally, who had 24 points and 10 rebounds, said having Griner back means a lot.
“Last year we played without her and it was just weird, something was missing,” Sabally said. “And now everything is back to normal.”
Phoenix and Dallas will play again Friday night when the game is already sold out at the University of Texas-Arlington campus arena, which seats about 7,000 fans.
“This is a joyful distraction from what we all went through last year,” said Mercury coach Vanessa Nygaard. “Last year in every city it was the BG game but not the BG game like this one so I’m very grateful to have her back. We mustn’t forget the wonder of her being here.”
Dallas coach Latricia Trammell said the highlight of her day was Griner’s warm hug as the Mercury came onto the court for the morning shootaround while the Wings wrapped up their practice session.
“It was just an emotional moment for all of us,” Trammell said. “I’m just honored and blessed that she’s laying on the ground safe and sound.” And as she told me, she says, ‘All happiness comes from here.’
Griner also hugged Wings players Odyssey Sims and Kalani Brown, both former Baylor players. Sims was a teammate of Griner on the undefeated national title team, while Brown was part of the Bears’ national championship in 2019.
Griner’s wife Cherelle was in attendance, but the Mercury lost 84-79 Wednesday night
Griner was still smiling after the loss as she spoke to the media about her homecoming
Griner landed in Texas on Dec. 9, 2022, footage aired on CNN and Fox News showed after being released from a Russian prison in exchange for a notorious arms dealer
Brown visited the camps in Baylor when Griner was playing there — “BG doesn’t like it when I pull out the camp picture,” Brown said with a smile.
Now that Griner is back on the court, Brown said it’s important that she know how much everyone has been reaching out and praying for her during this difficult time.
“I’m glad that situation didn’t cloud her light because she’s the sweetest person.” “In every encounter we’ve had, I’ve never had a negative one,” Brown said. “I’m so glad she didn’t change that.”
When the current Baylor players met with Griner, they presented her with a commemorative frame featuring the “BG42” patch that the Bears wore on their jerseys last season, even after Griner’s release.
Griner made a jump on the first throw of the game, earning the first of her 24 points in Arlington, Texas
Nicki Collen, who just finished her second season as Baylor’s coach, said her goal is to retire Griner’s #42 jersey as early as next season when the school opens its new basketball arena. No one has worn that number for the Bears since Griner’s 2012-13 senior season, when she was last on campus for a game.
“I think one of the things that BG wants is to feel really welcome at Baylor,” Collen said. “Having the ability to connect things together is going to be really tremendous for our program.”
Griner, who has since graduated from Baylor, said she would love to see her jersey hanging from the rafters and looks forward to playing a game on the Waco campus again.
“I played my best basketball there and met some really great people there,” Griner said. “I can’t wait to go back there. I mean, it’s safe to say I’ll never go abroad to play ball again. So, you know, in the off-season I’ll actually be able to watch games and be there.”