Ayton happy seeing Griner back in gym
‘She can get back to the old BG,’ Suns center said
Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner was in the early stages of a workout at the practice facility Thursday when she walked to the other end of the court for a drink out of a small fridge.
She noticed several media members awaiting Deandre Ayton to come out for his post-practice interview.
“All of y'all are going to be at the Mercury games right,” said Griner with a smile as she made her way back to the other end of the court.
Minutes later, Ayton emerged, sat down and started watching Griner between the media bodies.
“I like her haircut, too,” Ayton said. “It suits her well. You see the smile on her face. It’s something you can’t take for granted. It’s just good to see her out here dribbling a ball. Just happy to see her get it in. She know she got to get back in shape and go after it.”
Griner was detained on Feb. 17, 2022, at Sheremetyevo Airport outside of Moscow after customs officials alleged they found vape cartridges containing oil derived from cannabis in her luggage.
She was traveling overseas to play for a club team in the WNBA offseason.
Griner was detained in Russia for 294 days before being freed on Dec. 8, 2022, in a prisoner swap as the United States released Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
She’s since returned to the U.S., recently re-signed with the Mercury and is working out for the upcoming 2023 season.
“It’s unreal,” Ayton said. “Just watching her and seeing the reactions on her face. Her just being back and trying to get back in shape and just loving the game she loves to do. You can tell her mind is free.”
The Mercury open the 2023 season on May 19 against the Los Angeles Sparks and play their home opener on May 21 against the Chicago Sky.
“I do not think any of us will forget where we were on Dec. 8 when we heard BG was coming home or on Dec. 15 when she announced she intended not only to
play basketball in 2023 but that it would be for the Mercury,” Mercury president of business operations Vince Kozar said in Feb. 21 news release.
The top overall pick in the 2013 draft out of Baylor, the 6-9 Griner was named to the WNBA’s 25th-anniversary team. She is back for her 10th WNBA season after missing the 2022 season while being detained in Russia.
“And I know none of us will ever forget what it will feel like to welcome her back onto her home floor on May 21,” Kozar continued. “To know BG is to love and appreciate BG, and we can’t wait to show her that in person with thousands and thousands of her biggest supporters exactly three months from today at our ‘Welcome Home Opener.’”
No longer wearing the long dreads, Griner has a short haircut as Ayton noticed and was fully engaged in her workout as the Suns and Mercury share the practice facility. The 2014 WNBA champion is averaging 17.7 points on 56% shooting, 7.6 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in her 254 career games in the regular season.
“She can get back to the old BG,” Ayton said.
The U.S. government declared Griner was being “wrongfully detained” by the Russian government in May 2022. Griner, 32, pleaded guilty to drug charges in July, but said she accidentally brought hashish oil into Russia and didn’t intend to break the law.
Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison in August after being found guilty. Her appeal was denied in October and she was moved to a penal colony in Mordovia, which is 200-plus miles south of Moscow, in November.
A month later, Griner was released and returned to the U.S.
“We missed BG every day that she was gone and, while basketball was not our primary concern, her presence on the floor, in our locker room, around our organization, and within our community was greatly missed,” Mercury general manager Jim Pitman said in a Feb. 21 news release.
The Mercury announced her re-signing Tuesday.
“We will continue to use the resources of our organization to support her, on and off the floor, and we are thrilled for her that she gets to return to basketball, which she loves so dearly," Pitman added.