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After being released from a Russian prison, Brittney Griner is aiming to return to the WNBA this year; According to reports, Griner has now rejoined the Phoenix Mercury team; Griner has been playing for the Mercury since they made him their first choice a decade ago
Last updated: 19/02/23 11:58
Brittney Griner looks set to return to the Phoenix Mercury for the start of the 2023 WNBA season
Brittney Griner has signed a one-year contract to play for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, it has been reported.
The American was released from a Russian penal colony last December as part of a prisoner swap.
According to ESPN, which cited sources, the 32-year-old free agent signed a deal on Saturday to return to the only WNBA team she has played for since they selected her with the first pick in the 2013 draft.
A photo provided by the US Army shows WNBA star Brittney Griner arriving at Kelly Field in San Antonio after she was released in a prisoner swap with Russia.
The Mercury, who open the 2023 WNBA season on May 19 at the Los Angeles Sparks, did not immediately respond when asked by Reuters to confirm the report.
Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and eight-time Women’s National Basketball Association All-Star, was arrested in February 2022 at an airport outside Moscow for carrying a vape cartridge containing hashish oil in her suitcase.
He was later convicted of drug smuggling and later transferred to one of Russia’s most notorious penal colonies, where ex-convicts described torture, brutal beatings and slave labor conditions.
Brittney Griner was transferred to one of Russia’s most notorious penal colonies
Griner was released last December in a prisoner swap with Russia in exchange for arms dealer Viktor Bout, a deal arranged after months of negotiations during a period of high tensions between the two countries following Russia’s February invasion of Ukraine.
In her first public statement since her release, Griner said last December that she would advocate for Americans detained abroad and that she planned to return to the WNBA team.
“I will be playing basketball for the Phoenix Mercury WNBA this season, and as such, I hope to say ‘thank you’ to all of you who support, write, and send me messages in person,” Griner said. write.
Griner last played for the Mercury in the 2021 WNBA season when she had one of the best years of her career and averaged 20.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists over 30 games.
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