The Phoenix Mercury announced on Saturday (July 29) that Brittney Griner, the team’s star player, won’t be traveling with the squad on its upcoming two-game road trip in an effort to focus on her mental health. She will miss the matches against the Indiana Fever on Tuesday and the Chicago Sky on Sunday.
According to ESPN, The Mercury declared in a statement that “The Mercury fully support Brittney and we will continue to work together on a timeline for her return.”. Around five months before the mental health leave of absence, the team announced her return to the WNBA following a 10-month stint in jail in Russia on drug-related charges.
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Griner’s detention at Sheremetyevo International Airport in February 2022 led to a nine-year prison sentence in Russia in August and a 294-day period of detention. She was released on December 9 after taking part 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. With the signing of a new one-year contract in February, she became formally affiliated with the team for the 2023 campaign. She made her full comeback on May 19 during a matchup with the Los Angeles Sparks.
There have been times when critics have put her to the test, including a terrifying encounter on June 10. Despite the love and support she has received, she has been astounded by it. She was walking through an airport being followed and harassed by YouTube star Alex Stein.
In a video that Stein himself captured, he can be seen questioning Brittney Griner about her time in Russia and whether or not she “had sex with Vladimir Putin” before releasing her. Law enforcement arrived as the situation became out of control and the man was tackled. Fortunately, no one was hurt or harmed.
“I think we should have already had the opportunity to utilize a different airline, a more private airline, charter flights,” Griner said on June 26. It’s unfortunate that things have to get to this point because I’d rather wait for something to happen before making changes. You have no idea what will be in that item.
How is Brittney Griner performing at the moment?
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 was a previous 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 selected as an All-Star starter last month.
Between May 19 and July 9, Griner scored at least 20 points in nine of her most recent 15 games and at least 15 points in 12 of those contests. The superstar’s performance hasn’t been as strong over the last five games, though, as she has only scored 15 points in one of those games and is only averaging 13 points overall.
Her performance may have been impacted by her mental health, but she made it clear that she needs to take some time for herself, and we must respect that. Her devoted fan base will stand by her in both good and bad times, and she will have millions of supporters worldwide.
