Griner’s return highlights new season
The WNBA has begun its 27th season with new rules, new rosters and one big return. Here’s what to expect.
Brittney Griner is back: After nearly 10 months in detention in Russia, Brittney Griner is playing basketball again.
Griner’s detention clouded the WNBA season last year. She was arrested at an airport near Moscow on drug charges in February 2022, and subsequently convicted and sentenced to nine years in a penal colony. The league regularly paid tribute to her during the season, and her fellow players spoke out on her behalf.
Griner was released in a prisoner swap in December, and after time spent recovering privately, she signed a one-year contract to return to the Phoenix Mercury. Griner played no basketball during her imprisonment and is still working to get back into game shape. “Everybody tells me to give myself grace and that it’s going to take time,” she said at a news conference in April, “but that’s the hardest thing to do for a pro athlete because we always want to be right back at our top shape.”
Star players are joining forces:
The offseason was dominated by free-agent signings and trades that established what could be two superteams: the New York Liberty and the Las Vegas Aces.
The Liberty traded with the Connecticut Sun for Jonquel Jones, the league’s Most Valuable Player in 2021. Then they landed one of the top free agents: Breanna Stewart, the 2018 MVP, who had won two championships in Seattle. Finally, the Liberty signed the league’s active assists leader, Courtney Vandersloot. Those three join the returnees Betnijah Laney and Sabrina Ionescu, who have each made an All-Star team.
The reigning champion Aces already featured an impressive collection of talent: last year’s MVP, A’ja Wilson (who also won in 2020); Chelsea Gray, the 2022 finals MVP; and their fellow All-Stars, Jackie Young and Kelsey Plum. And then they signed Candace Parker, the two-time MVP, two-time champion and seven-time All-Star. They also picked up veteran Alysha Clark.