Brittney Griner will continue her basketball career after her captivity in Russia and has with her former club Phoenix Mercury from the North American professional league for women WNBA signed a one-year contract.
With “BG is back” confirmed the franchise the return of the star player. “This is a special signing, it’s a special day for all of us”said Mercury CEO Jim Pitman: “We missed BG every day that she wasn’t there.”
Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison for drug smuggling by a Russian court in early August and released in a spectacular prisoner exchange in December. The 32-year-old spent a total of almost ten months in Russian detention after vape cartridges containing cannabis oil were discovered in her luggage at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport in February 2022.
The 32-year-old was number one in 2013 Phoenix drafted and won the 2014 championship. There were also two gold medals at the Olympic Games (2016, 2020) and two world titles (2014, 2018) with the USA. Griner was also included in the list of the 25 best WNBA-Players included.