GRINER JABS AT WNBA
A frustrated Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner, center, says she is considering leaving the WNBA as the league considers a possible suspension following Saturday’s brawl.
“How they handle this will determine a lot about the future. Because how can I fight for some league that doesn’t even ... protect their players?
Brittney Griner Mercury center, who awaits news of a possible suspension after Saturday’s on-court brawl
Mercury star considers leaving league as possible suspension for brawl looms
Center Brittney Griner says her love of the Phoenix Mercury is the only reason she continues to play in the WNBA.
The 6-foot-9 Griner, in her seventh WNBA season, all with the Mercury, expressed frustration with the league Monday in her first public comments after being involved in a brawl during a game Saturday.
“I’m not doing it for the money because we don’t make enough and they want to fine me for every little thing,” Griner said. “I’m getting techs for protecting myself in games and flagrants because they always only see me. They never see anything beforehand. I’m basically not getting paid this summer already (due to fines).”
Although that’s an exaggeration, Griner, WNBA scoring leader, six-time All-Star and league MVP contender, is making close to the league maximum $115,000 with the Mercury this season. She makes a seven-figure salary with her Russian team UMMC
Ekaterinburg during the WNBA’s offseason.
The 28-year-old has options including playing solely in Russia, like Mercury teammate Diana Taurasi did in 2015, and for the USA Basketball national team for major international events.
Whether Griner would actually take the radical step of leaving the WNBA — regarded as the world’s best women’s basketball league — is an open question perhaps tied into how the league decides on suspensions stemming from Saturday.
“How they handle this will determine a lot about the future,” said Griner, in the final year of her Mercury contract. “Because how can I fight for some league that doesn’t even ... protect their players?
“They better hope our coaches and GM (Jim Pitman) don’t go anywhere and DB (DeWanna Bonner) plays here forever. Because I’ll be done in a heartbeat if I was anywhere else.”
Griner lost her temper in the fourth quarter Saturday after Dallas rookie Kristine Anigwe yanked her arm and struck her in the head. Griner tried to punch Anigwe then chased her around the court, leading to benches emptying and six ejections (three per team).
The WNBA is reviewing the incident but has yet to issue suspensions.
“Everybody is human,” Griner said. “It’s so easy to sit in your office and say there’s no place for that. I’m sorry I wasn’t raised like that. My dad is military and law enforcement. You don’t turn the cheek. I was always taught you turn your head at somebody coming after you, you’re going to get hit in the back of the head or worse.
“I was probably wrong for how much I did. I wish it wouldn’t have got there. It could have been nipped in the bud in that second game in Connecticut when I got that flagrant. I told the referee before she (Anigwe, then with the Sun) checked in to watch us because we had previous stuff in the last game.
“I didn’t do it the other night because clearly it didn’t work so what’s the point of even saying it again. What good is it going to do when you try to be proactive about something and it doesn’t work?”
Griner and Anigwe, who grew up in Phoenix, had issues in games on July 12 and Aug. 1 before facing each other again Saturday. It was Anigwe’s second game since being traded to Dallas.
“I understand you’re a rookie trying to come in and be physical,” Griner said. “I’m cool with people that play physical. Me and Syl (Sylvia Fowles) play physical against each other. Me and Liz (Cambage) play physical against each other. But it never escalates. Like we don’t throw cheap shots at each other. I might catch an elbow in the rib when Syl is posting up, but I know it’s not malicious.
“With (Anigwe), I don’t know. She just does way too much. I don’t know if she’s trying to make a name for herself in the league because she definitely made a name as a runner like run for it. That’s the only name she has now.”
The 6-8 Cambage, traded from Dallas to Las Vegas in the offseason, strongly defended Griner following an Aces game Sunday.
Griner believes that she should not be suspended longer than those of Anigwe and Dallas’ Kayla Thornton, who was on the floor during the play and ran after Griner, trying to hit her near the scorer’s table with official Billy Smith in between.
“Honestly Thornton should get the most because she wasn’t involved,” Griner said. “You weren’t involved. You should have been like everybody else, trying to calm it down. Everybody that was just trying to calm it down, they got ejected. That should be their punishment. They shouldn’t get any games. Because how are you going to let your teammate get jumped and go try to help cool it down?”
The WNBA has a rule requiring a minimum one-game suspension for anyone leaving the bench area.
In 2008, the WNBA suspended 11 players and coaches for one to four games for a fight between the Detroit Shock and Los Angeles Sparks. Plenette Pierson received the highest penalty, a four-game suspension for “actions that initiated and escalated the altercation.”
“I’ve just got to take it,” Griner said. “I’m an adult so I know there’s consequences. I’ve apologized to my teammates, coaches and GM (also to official Smith after the game). They’re all supportive of me. That’s going to hurt. Hopefully the suspensions aren’t crazy.”
Griner was suspended for seven games before the start of the 2015 season following her arrest for a domestic violence incident with her then wife Glory Johnson, who is with Dallas and played in Saturday’s game.