The Phoenix Mercury announced on Saturday (July 29) that their star player, Brittney Griner, won’t be traveling with the team on its upcoming two-game road trip in an effort to focus on her mental health. On Tuesday’s game against the Indiana Fever and Sunday’s contest against the Chicago Sky, she won’t be present.
According to ESPN, The Mercury said in a statement that they “fully support Brittney” and that “we will continue to work together on a timeline for her return.”. Around five months before the mental health break, the team announced her return to the WNBA following a 10-month detention in Russia on drug-related charges.
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Due to his detention at Sheremetyevo International Airport in February 2022, Griner was held for 294 days after being given a nine-year prison sentence in Russia in August. She was released on December 9 following her participation in a prisoner exchange between Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin.
She made her full intention to return to basketball in her first public comments after arriving home a week later. The signing of a new one-year contract in February made her affiliation with the team for the 2023 campaign official. She fully returned on May 19 during a matchup against the Los Angeles Sparks.
Although she has been astounded by the love and support bestowed upon her, there have been times when her detractors have put her to the test, including a terrifying encounter on June 10. She was walking through an airport being followed and harassed by YouTube star Alex Stein.
Stein himself recorded a video of Brittney Griner being questioned by him about her time in Russia, including whether or not she “had sex with Vladimir Putin,” before being let go. As the situation became out of control and law enforcement arrived, the man was tackled. Thankfully, no one was injured or harmed.
On June 26, Griner said, “I think we should have already had the opportunity to use a different airline, a more private airline, charter flights. It’s unfortunate that things have to get so bad because I’d prefer to wait for something to happen before making changes. You don’t know what will be in that item.
How is Brittney Griner performing right now?
Brittney Griner missed the entire 2022 season while imprisoned in Russia, so the entire WNBA had been anticipating her return to the regular season on May 19. Over the course of the next two months, she quickly regained her form and demonstrated to everyone why she had previously been an All-Star and winner.
This season, she has taken part in 20 of the team’s 23 games. Despite the team’s struggles for the majority of the season, Griner has excelled, averaging 18 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 0 steals, and 1 7 blocks per game in 28 minutes per game. She was chosen as an All-Star starter last month.
Between May 19 and July 9, Griner scored at least 20 points in nine of her last 15 games and at least 15 points in 12 of those contests. Though she has only scored 15 points in one of the last five games and is only averaging 13 points overall, the superstar’s play hasn’t been as impressive lately.
Although it is unknown if her mental health has affected her performance, she made it clear that she needs to take some time for herself, and we must respect that. She will have millions of fans all over the world who will stand by her in good times and bad.
