Prior to May 19, Brittney Griner had not played in the WNBA since October 2021. Griner had been arrested in Russia in February 2022 on drug charges and spent the 2022 season in a Russian prison. However, the veteran center returned to the United States via a prisoner swap in December 2022. Despite fears that Griner might sit out the 2023 season, she made it clear that she would play.
Griner rejoined a Phoenix Mercury team in a state of flux. The team finished 15-21 in 2022, their second losing season in the last four years. However, they still entered the playoffs as the eight-seed but were swept in the first round. It was a disappointing decline from their Finals appearance in 2021. With Griner’s return, there were high hopes that the Mercury could bounce back. They were named among the title contender conversation, if not title favorites due to the superteams that had formed in Las Vegas and New York.
Griner’s Hot But The Mercury Are Not
PHOENIX, ARIZONA – MAY 21: Brittney Griner #42 of the Phoenix Mercury reacts after hitting a three-point shot against the Chicago Sky during the second half of the WNBA game at Footprint Center on May 21, 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
A grueling and unimaginable year away from the court appears to have had little effect on Griner’s game. Through the Mercury’s first two games of the season, Griner has 45 points, 16 rebounds, and 8 blocks. Furthermore, she recorded a double-double against the Chicago Sky on May 21 (25 points, 10 rebounds). The problem is that Griner is really the only player in Phoenix hooping hard.
The Mercury are 0-2 after losses to two rebuilding teams in the Sparks and Sky. By comparison, the Mercury have the fifth-best odds to win the WNBA title this season. There are signs of life in Phoenix, but they have simply been outplayed in their first two games. The Mercury are in win-now mode, trading a lot of 2023 capital to build a team around Griner and Diana Taurasi. However, that team has simply not come together through the opening games of the season. They will look to turn things around against the Minnesota Lynx on May 25.
There are 144 roster spots in the WNBA. The 12 teams in the league each have a hard-capped 12 roster spots. This makes it difficult for rookies and less tenured players to stay in the league, as they often engaged in tense competitions for limited roster spots. On average, teams will have no more than half of their roster spots available for all rookies and free agents.
Furthermore, the WNBA has been cagey in recent years about expansion. Every few months, the league comes out with a vague update about the state of league expansion. The most recent update was that the league had narrowed down a list of 100 potential expansion sites to 20. But this isn’t enough for many fans.
Multiple Top Picks Waived
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MAY 14: Forward Charli Collier #35 of the Dallas Wings handles the ball during the game against the Los Angeles Sparks at Los Angeles Convention Center on May 14, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
In recent days, Charli Collier (#1 pick in 2021), Emily Engstler (#4 in 2022), and Abby Meyers (#11 in 2023) are among the players who have been waived by their teams. The Collier, who has played 45 games over the last two seasons, waive was taken especially hard by fans. Collier is averaging 2.9 points and 2.5 rebounds per game in her career. The Dallas Wings, Collier’s former team, currently have three rookies on the roster and one player from Collier’s draft class.
However, the cuts have once again raised calls to expand the league, either through new teams or larger rosters. “Another day of WNBA roster cuts, another day of needing WNBA roster expansion. Franchises need spots to develop college talent!!” Gaming Society‘s Matt Ellentuck tweeted. “Expansion is needed. However when there’s only 144 spots we have to be realistic. The gap between being a great NCAA player and a good enough #WNBA player is large. You have a few that come in ready but teams don’t have enough time to try & develop. They need you to be ready now.” argued Women’s Hoopz. Despite fan outrage, it doesn’t appear that the league is yet in a place to follow through on this.
When Coi Leray dropped her new single “Players,” it occurred to several observers that it’d be the perfect tune for a partnership with the WNBA. Well, those observers were clearly onto something, as the song appears in a new preview for the 2023 season. Coi also appears via voiceover to detail all the ways the WNBA is “more than a game.”
“This league is a sisterhood,” she asserts. “It’s way more than just a game; it’s an empire — a fearless empire. More sideswiping steals: Check. We got hoops, drive, and passion. Easy! More buckets, extra sauce? Order up! More dimension-defying dimes, more dancing than a Saturday night — now this is what I call primetime.” As she speaks, highlights from past seasons of WNBA action play out with incredible VFX.
While “Players” has been a success for Coi, with multiple remixes including one featuring Busta Rhymes, the New Jersey rapper has continued to roll out new music, including the singles “Bops” and “My Body.” While she said the music industry is oversaturated, she’s clearly not afraid to mix it up, making sure she has plenty of opportunities to stand out.
ONE TIME FOR THE CULTURE! More. Than. Game. This year’s @WNBA campaign spot expands on 2022’s MORE THAN theme & features our girl @coi_leray. SZN is upon us, so I gotta know…what are you MORE THAN? Me? I’m more than determined…& ofc more than excited! https://t.co/mj4Ia0uKogpic.twitter.com/JgoX4lLNic
Meanwhile, the WNBA is set for one of its biggest seasons to date after an exciting draft packed with college superstars (and a thrilling NCAA championship tournament that proved the power of women’s hoops) and a new television deal. A wild offseason saw some big names change cities and make splashy headlines, so more eyes than ever will be on the ever-growing league.
The last time Brittney Griner stepped onto a basketball court in the United States in a professional capacity was October 17, 2021. She put 28 points and seven rebounds in an 80-74 loss that sealed the WNBA Championship for the Chicago Sky. Exactly four months, she was arrested at Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow on drug smuggling charges. In what many decried as a political imprisonment, she was sentenced to nine years in a Russian penal colony.
On December 8, Griner returned to the United States after being exchanged in a prisoner swap for convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout. While there were concerns about Griner’s future, the eight-time all-star made it clear that she intended to return to the court with the Phoenix Mercury. She officially re-signed with the team in February and is the most experienced center on the roster. She will be backed up by Megan Gustafson and Kylee Shook.
Griner Scores 10 In US Court Return
573 days after last stepping foot on a US basketball court, Griner donned her Mercury prepared to face her first American audience in nearly two years. As she stepped out in view, the 17,000 fans packed into Phoenix’s Footprint Center rose to their feet to give the center a standing ovation. Griner high-fived her teammates before pointing to the sky as she prepared to take on the rebuilding Los Angeles Sparks. The Sparks have the second-lowest odds to win the WNBA Championship in 2023.
The result, a 90-71 win for the Sparks, wasn’t important to the fans in the crowd. They were largely there to see Griner. Playing 17 minutes in the preseason game, Griner put up 10 points. She also pulled down three rebounds as Vanessa Nygaard rotated her players frequently. But Griner showed without a doubt that she was ready for the 2023 season. Without Griner, the Mercury went 15-21 in 2022 but still made the playoffs as the eighth seed. The Mercury will face the Sparks again on May 19 for their regular season opener in Los Angeles. Are you excited for the 2023 WNBA season? How do you think Brittney Griner will do this season? Let us know in the comments.
Wyclef Jean, Haitian musician, will be performing at Brittney Griner’s first home game since being released from Russian prison. Jean plans to perform a cover of late Jamaican icon Bob Marley’s “One Love.” Additionally, he will select 200 lucky fans to perform the song with him in celebration of the WNBA player’s homecoming. Also, Wyclef will be performing a concert after the game.
Jean shared in April that he was checking himself into the hospital. The artist admitted himself for unknown reasons. He then shared the news with fans in a video of the artist in a wheelchair. Text overlaying the video reads, “Sometimes we forget that our body is our temple.” Then he added, “Be back soon.” In October, Jean signed on as the Chair of the Music Advisory Board for the Harlem Festival of Culture. He expresses that he is “thrilled” about his new position with the festival. “On a personal note, Harlem has always held a special place in my heart,” he revealed. Jean shares that he has a connection with the neighborhood “as [he] performed there very early in [his] career and throughout.”
Griner’s Comeback
Brittney Griner #42 of the Phoenix Mercury poses for a portrait during the WNBA media day at Footprint Center on May 03, 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
The basketball player shared an emotional statement shortly after her release from Russian police custody and was sent back to the United States. She thanked the public, saying, “Thank y’all for covering me and all the exposure that you gave me […] to get me home.” The basketball star says she’s writing a memoir, which is based on her experiences as a prisoner in Russia in the spring of 2024. Griner calls the experience “an unfathomable period in my life” which she is “only now am I ready to share.” The memoir will outline “in vivid detail her harrowing experience of her wrongful detainment.” Also, it will outline “the difficulty of navigating the byzantine Russian legal system in a language she did not speak.”
Griner came to the defense of transgender athletes in April, saying that she believes “everyone deserves the right to play.” She added, “I think it’s a crime to separate someone for any reason.” She additionally shared that she wants to speak out about the anti-trans sports bill that was recently passed. The artist’s performance at her homecoming celebrates the battle she faced to return.
Brittney Griner’s long road to returning to the WNBA has taken the next step. On Thursday, Griner spoke with the media about her return to the league. During the press conference, it was hard for Griner to keep her emotions in check. The WNBA star was detained in Russia in March of 2022 for possession of Marijuana. What followed was a very public demand for the release of the basketball star. After 10 long months, Griner was freed from Russia in a prisoner swap with Russia.
Griner has kept it no secret how she was treated during her time in detainment. However, Griner is done discussing the negatives. Now, she is thankful for the opportunity to have her life back. “Thank y’all for covering me and all the exposure that you gave me, my family to get me home… I expect to see the same coverage because we have a great product.” Many in the media made Griner’s freedom a top priority, as well as many celebrities.
Brittney Griner Is Thankful To Be Home
“Thank y’all for covering me and all the exposure that you gave me, my family to get me home… I expect to see the same coverage because we have a great product.”
During her return press conference, Griner mentioned that she would not be going overseas again. Except for one condition. “I can say for me, I’m never going overseas to play again unless I’m representing my country at the Olympics… The whole reason a lot of us go overseas is the pay gap, to make an income, to support our families, to support ourselves.” Griner isn’t the first, or will she be the last, to take her talents overseas to make a livable wage playing the game she is passionate about. However, the United States has attempted to make a change with that issue.
The pay gap between female and male athletes has long been an issue in the United States. However, many professional leagues are taking the necessary steps to give women the same opportunities as men. Brittney Griner’s story will not soon be forgotten. The Phoenix star plans on releasing a memoir about her time in a Russian prison. For now, we all can celebrate that another American citizen has been brought home safely. For the latest news in sports, keep it right here with HNHH.
Monday night was WNBA Draft night. The event was hosted at Manhattan’s Spring Studios New York and exclusively broadcast on ESPN. The league’s 12 teams gathered to select the young collegiate stars they hope will become cornerstones of their franchise. The WNBA draft is comprised of three rounds and 36 total picks. 15 players were invited to attend the draft in person.
The 2023 Draft was one of the most hyped stagings in recent memory. Hours before it began, the league announced the expansion of charter flight use. Furthermore, the wealth of talent available had experts hailing the class’ depth. However, this also led to the usual lamentations about the league’s size, and thus the players who would go undrafted. The Indiana Fever held the first overall pick for the first time in franchise history.
The draft began as many experts had predicted. The Indiana Fever took South Carolina standout first overall and the Minnesota Lynx took Maryland star Diamond Miller second. Then the Dallas Wings, who initially held the third and fifth picks, managed to take three players in a row. The Wings selected Villanova’s Maddy Siegrist third, immediately traded for the rights to Iowa State’s Stephanie Soares when the Washington Mystics took her fourth, and then took UConn’s Lou Lopez Senechal fifth. Dallas’ aggressive moves aside, few mock drafts had Soares and Senechal going as high as the top five.
The surprises continued to come throughout the three-round draft. South Carolina’s Brea Beal, projected to go at the end of the first round, fell to the end of the second. Angel Reese‘s teammate Alexis Morris also had to wait until the end of the second to hear her name called. However, by the end of the night, 36 players had been drafted. That included five from South Carolina alone, making the Gamecocks the third school (and fourth class overall) to see that many players drafted. Meanwhile, the Wings eventually ended the night with six total players, with four in the top-15. Eyes will now turn to May and the start of the 2023 WNBA season to see how this rookie class fares on the court.
Since we are about 24 hours from the WNBA Draft- My ultimate advice for rookies: If possible, try to max out your 401k bc WNBA matches 25% the 2023 max 401k contribution is $22,500, meaning the WNBA would match $5,625 of that. Free money for your future self
One of the most common complaints that have plagued the WNBA in recent years is charter flights. Prior to 2019, all WNBA team flights were done commercially. This often meant long and convoluted travel times for players. In 2018, the Las Vegas Aces lost an entire travel day due to canceled and rescheduled flights. To make matters worse, the league came down heavily on teams that gave its players charter flights. In 2022, the New York Liberty were fined $500,000 for unauthorized charter flights.
Things have incrementally improved under Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. Upon taking the commissioner role in 2019, she implemented charter flights for playoff games where a team would have to cross multiple time zones in a day. In 2022, charter flights were applied to the entire WNBA finals and the visiting team of the Commissoner’s Cup. However, the issue is still a pertinent one. Tennessee center Tamari Key went as far as to cite the issue as part of the reason she was returning to college for another year. The league has been resistant to allow charters, citing a desire for “competitive balance”.
WNBA Approves Charters For Back-To-Backs
The WNBA announces the expansion of charter flights programs for players this 2023 season
In a press release ahead of the 2023 WNBA Draft, the WNBA announced that charter flights would once again be expanded. According to the release, the WNBA would allow teams to arrange charters in the event of games on back-to-back days. Charter flights would also be available for the entirety of the playoffs. However, it’s not the sweeping change players were hoping for. There are just five instances of a team playing back-to-back games during the 2023 season. Furthermore, Engelbert told the Associated Press that the policy would be re-evaluated ahead of the Olympics-impacted 2024 season.
The move is a sign of growth and change for the league, but for many, it’s not enough. Many experts have pointed to much more substantial growth of the NWSL, the nation’s premier women’s soccer league, in comparison. Furthermore, with potential WNBA talent like Key citing charters as a reason to stay away from the league, it could quickly become a league-threatening issue. But for now, the WNBA appears content with its limited expansion of charter flights.
Brittney Griner, 32, who was detained at airport security near Moscow, Russia, is making her return to the WNBA. With a $165.100 free-agent contract with the team she played for prior to her arrest, Phoenix Mercury, Griner is eager to get back on the court, taking to Instagram to talk about her intentions, “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.”
8X All-Star and 2X Olympic Gold Medalist Has Nine Seasons on Her Back
TOPSHOT – France’s Sandrine Gruda (R) dribbles the ball past USA’s Brittney Griner in the women’s preliminary round group B basketball match between France and USA during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. (Photo by Aris MESSINIS / AFP) (Photo by ARIS MESSINIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Griner is a name to know. Being an 8X WNBA All-Star and 2X Olympic Gold Medalist, Griner has made her skill known in the basketball world. Averaging 20.5 points per game with 9.5 assists in her 2021 season with Phoenix, center player Griner was a first round, first pick for her team. With nine seasons on her back, Griner averages 17.7 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists overall.
Leading her Baylor College basketball team to a 2012 championship, Griner became the NCAA’s only player to score 2,000 points with 500 defensive blocks. With many accolades like Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four, ESPYs Best Female Athlete Award, and becoming a 3X All American Basketball Player, it’s no wonder Griner was able to again lead her Olympic team to victory in the 2016 Rio Olympics. Then again in the 2020 Tokyo, Japan Olympics.
Griner’s new contract with the WNBA will have her starting with Phoenix Mercury in the 2023 season for their first game against Los Angeles Sparks on May 19th. WNBA Commissioner Cathey Engelbert told Poppy Harlow on CNN This Morning Show, “I met with her in Phoenix. Britney is doing remarkably well, and she’s starting to train. We’re so excited to have her back in the league after an awful ordeal.”
Griner Becomes First LGBTQ Member to SignNike Endorsement Deal
TOKYO, JAPAN August 2: Brittney Griner #15 of the United States during team warm up before the France V USA Preliminary Round Group B Basketball Women match at the Saitama Super Arena during the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games on August 2, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)
Being the first LGBTQ member to sign an endorsement deal with Nike, Griner has paved the way for many men and women who support the cause as well. In a 2019 interview with People Magazine, Griner explained her feelings on coming out as a lesbian in the WNBA saying, “People tell me I’m going to break the barrier and trailblaze. I just kind of look at it like, I’m just trying to help out, I’m just trying to make it not as tough for the next generation.”
Griner Takes to Instagram to Speak on Her Return to US and WNBA
Griner Has Been Met With Support By Her WNBA Family
(L-R) Brittney Griner #42, Skylar Diggins-Smith #4, Diana Taurasi #3, Shey Peddy #5, Brianna Turner #21 and head coach Sandy Brondello of the Phoenix Mercury during a timeout in Game Three of the 2021 WNBA semifinals. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Griner has received nothing but positivity from her WNBA family. Jim Pitman, General Manager of Phoenix Mercury announced on Griner’s signing day for the 2023 season saying, “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.”
Griner also received backing from Phoenix Mercury President of Business Operations saying, “I do not think any of us will forget where we were on Dec. 8 when we heard BG was coming home or on Dec. 15 when she announced she intended not only to play basketball in 2023 but that it would be for the Mercury. And I know none of us will ever forget what it will feel like to welcome her back onto her home floor on May 21. To know BG is to love and appreciate BG, and we can’t wait to show her that in person with thousands and thousands of her biggest supporters exactly three months from today at our Welcome Home Opener.”
The Return of Griner in the 2023 WNBA Season
Brittney Griner #15 of Team United States shoots against Japan during the second half of a Women’s Preliminary Round Group B game on day seven of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Also, a member of the 11 women who have won an Olympic, World Cup, and both WNBA and NCAA title, Griner continues to push forward in the WNBA as she overcomes her previous detainment. If not for trading Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout in December 2022, Griner would still be detained in Russia for her original nine-year sentence. However, Griner remains on US soil with her wife, Cherelle Griner, 30, and WNBA family, preparing herself for the 2023 season with Phoenix Mercury.
Brittney Griner is someone who has had a tremendously difficult year. Around this time last year, Griner was taken to a Russian prison on drug possession and smuggling chargers. Subsequently, Griner plead guilty to the charges and was sentenced to nine years in prison. However, the United States government continued to work diligently in an effort to get her out. In the end, Griner was able to leave Russia in a prisoner swap that turned out to be very controversial.
Since that time, Griner has been spending a lot of time with her family. Her wife Cherrelle was a huge reason for her release, and they have been enjoying their reconnection. Moreover, Griner has been making big decisions as it pertains to her basketball career. Overall, Griner decided to come back for one season with the Phoenix Mercury. This is going to be a massive comeback that fans are extremely excited about. Additionally, she will be paired back up with Diana Taurasi, which makes the Mercury title contenders, yet again. As it turns out, Griner is already looking to get in shape for this upcoming season.
In new photos posted by the Phoenix Mercury on Instagram, Griner could be seen getting in a workout in the team’s practice facility. Throughout all of the shots, Griner was all smiles. Overall, it is very clear that she loves the game of basketball. Over in Russia, she was unable to play the sport, and we’re sure it was a strain on her mental health. Now, she seems as motivated as ever to have a truly phenomenal season. After all, she is someone who has won a championship before, and she is eager to chasse that feeling yet again.
Hopefully, this is a successful season for Griner. She is one of the brightest stars throughout the WNBA, and her presence will most definitely be felt. Additionally, it seems clear that her teammates are overjoyed to have her back for this upcoming run. Let us know what you think of all of this, in the comments down below. Moreover, stay tuned to HNHH for more news from around the sports world.
the 2023 max 401k contribution is $22,500, meaning the WNBA would match $5,625 of that. Free money for your future self 
