Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner will be out indefinitely due to a fractured toe on her left foot, the team announced on Monday. That means Griner will miss opening night of the 2024 WNBA season, when the Mercury are scheduled to meet the defending champion Las Vegas Aces. Per the team, Griner will be re-evaluated in the coming weeks.
Griner was injured at some point between the team’s two preseason games during training camp, though the exact timing is unclear.
She played 14 minutes and finished with five points, four rebounds and two blocks against the Seattle Storm on May 7, but that game was not televised. Ahead of the Mercury’s final tune-up game versus the Los Angeles Sparks on May 10, the team announced she was out with a toe injury. Although there was not much initial concern, that changed when Griner showed up to that game in a walking boot and riding a scooter.
Griner made an emotional return to the court last season after she missed all of 2022 while she was wrongfully detained in Russia on drug charges. While the season did not go well for the Mercury, it was encouraging that Griner largely looked like her usual self. She averaged 17.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.6 blocks on 56.0%…
