Sunday, the Phoenix Mercury lost to Chicago (104-85) without Brittney Griner. An absence announced the day before since the player did not make the trip with her team, which will also play in Indiana on Tuesday evening.
The All-Star is not injured, but she has decided to focus on her mental health, the franchise announced, which did not specify a date for her return.
As a reminder, Brittney Griner spent ten months in prison in Russia in 2022, after being arrested at Moscow airport for drug possession and then sentenced to nine years in prison. Eventually, she will return to the United States following a prisoner exchange.
This season, for her return to the WNBA, she played 20 games, started the All-Star Game and averaged 18.2 points and 6.7 rebounds. She is thus in the Top 15 in points and rebounds per game.
Mercury center Brittney Griner will not travel with the team on its upcoming two-game road trip to Chicago and Indiana (July 30-August 1) to focus on her mental health. The Mercury fully support Brittney and we will continue to work together on a timeline for her return.
—Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) July 29, 2023
