Brittney Griner reacts after hitting a 3-pointer in her first game back in Phoenix since 2021. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Brittney Griner didn’t skip a beat in her first home game in Phoenix since 2021.
The Mercury center had a 27-point, 10-rebound double-double, and yet her impressive performance in the Mercury’s 75-69 loss to the Chicago Sky was far from the most important moment of the day.
Instead, Griner’s play provided the icing on the cake at the celebration of her homecoming after her 10-month detainment in Russia. A packed Footprint Center crowd welcomed her as “Coming Home” by Diddy and Dirty Money played over a video tribute.
“There may have been a little dust in my eye,” Griner said. “It was emotional in the back, just hearing, seeing some of the clips and then coming out. But, no, it was really good. It was really good. Part of the process of healing is just kind of letting it out. So, yeah, nah, I got choked up a little bit. Tried to hide it but you caught it”
Sunday also marked the first time that…
