ESPN to televise Brittney Griner’s 1st games back on court with Mercury
Mar 8, 2023, 6:30 PM
Brittney Griner #42 of the Phoenix Mercury during Game Three of the 2021 WNBA semifinals at Desert Financial Arena on October 03, 2021 in Tempe, Arizona. The Mercury defeated the Aces 87-60. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Brittney Griner’s return to basketball for the Phoenix Mercury this season will be aired on national TV, the team announced on Wednesday.
Griner — a seven-time All-Star — is back with Phoenix on a reported one-year deal after she was detained for nearly 10 months in Russia last year.
ESPN will broadcast her first two games back, including her home return at Footprint Center.
Phoenix opens its season in Los Angeles against the Sparks on May 19 and returns home on May 21 to face the Chicago Sky.
The Mercury announced that ESPN will also broadcast a July 25 matchup at the Atlanta Dream and a Sept. 10 game at the Las Vegas Aces.
RELATED STORIES
The Aces matchup is the regular-season finale.
Other networks, such as CBS and NBA TV, will announce their broadcast slates at a later date.
Griner was arrested for having hash-like cannabis oil in her backpack at a Russian airport, which led to her 294-day detainment. She returned to the U.S. in December after a prisoner swap.
She worked out on a basketball court in front of cameras on Feb. 23 for the first time.
All love between BG x KD 🧡
It’s a new dawn in the desert. pic.twitter.com/OOeZqavWQV
— Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) March 1, 2023
Griner averaged 20.5 points with a career-best 9.5 rebounds per game in 2021, and Phoenix reached the WNBA Finals. The Mercury fell to the Sky in the series, 3-1.
Phoenix lost in the opening round of the playoffs last year, a difficult campaign for the team with Griner in Russia. The Mercury, WNBA and NBA kept Griner in the forefront of minds, highlighting the phrase “We are BG.”
