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Josh Weinfuss
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M.A. Voepel
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M.A. Voepel
ESPN.com
- M.A. Voepel covers the WNBA, women’s college basketball, and other college sports for espnW. Voepel began covering women’s basketball in 1984, and has been with ESPN since 1996.
PHOENIX — After being detained for 10 months in Russia, Brittney Griner fulfilled the promise she made to play for the Phoenix Mercury again in the 2023 season.
Griner, a 32-year-old free agent, signed a one-year, $165,100 contract with the Mercury on Saturday, a source confirmed to ESPN. She’ll return to the team that drafted her first overall in 2013 for a 10th season.
The last time Griner suited up for the Mercury was in 2021, when she led them on an unexpected run to the WNBA Finals, which Phoenix lost to the Chicago Sky. She missed the 2022 WNBA season while in detention in Russia.
Griner had one of the best years of her career in 2021, averaging 20.5 points, 1.9 blocks, 2.7 assists, and career-highs with 9.5 rebounds per game, 2.4 offensive rebounds and a .846 free throw percentage.
Griner, who also played pro basketball in Russia, was arrested at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport in…
