Phoenix Mercury All-Star Brittney Griner will be away from her team for at least two games “to focus on her mental health,” the WNBA team announced on Saturday.
Griner will not travel with the Mercury to Chicago and Indiana for upcoming road games against the Sky and Fever on Sunday and Tuesday, respectively. The Mercury return home to Phoenix to face the Atlanta Dream on Thursday, but it’s not clear when Griner will return to the lineup.
“The Mercury fully support Brittney and we will continue to work together on a timeline for her return,” the team said in a statement Saturday.
Griner is averaging 18.2 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists in her first season back with the Mercury since missing the entire 2022 WNBA season while wrongfully detained in Russia for nearly 10 months. Ahead of the season, Griner spoke about how the international ordeal affected her mental state.
“You’re going to be faced with adversities throughout your life – this was a pretty big one,” Griner said in April. “You find a way to just grind it out. You just put your head down and keep going, just keep moving forward. You can never stand still, and that was my theme. Just never be still. Never get too focused on the now, just look forward.”
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Griner made her eighth All-Star appearance earlier this month and slammed down three dunks during the WNBA All-Star Game, where her return was the main storyline of the night.
The WNBA opted for a subtle tribute with a “Welcome Back” shoutout on the jumbotron during the WNBA All-Star Game. She received a loud applause from the crowd during introductions, enjoyed a snow cone on the bench during the game and even snuck out during halftime with her teammates to watch performer Kehlani.
“To have that ovation and all the memories that I can cherish means the world,” Griner said. “I’m just happy to be here in this building. All-Star is a fun time where we get to be together… Just being here with them after what they did to support me during one of the toughest times just means everything.”
Despite Griner’s dominant performance this season, the Mercury have been less than stellar. Phoenix is 6-17 entering Sunday’s game and head coach Vanessa Nygaard was fired in late June as a result. Lead assistant coach Nikki Blue was elevated to interim head coach for the remainder of the 2023 season.
