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M.A. Voepel
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Alexa Philippou
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Alexa Philippou
ESPN
- Covers women’s college basketball and the WNBA
- Previously covered UConn and the WNBA Connecticut Sun for the Hartford Courant
- Stanford graduate and Baltimore native with further experience at the Dallas Morning News, Seattle Times and Cincinnati Enquirer
Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner was harassed by a social media personality at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport on Saturday, once again bringing the issue of WNBA travel to the forefront.
Griner’s safety during air travel for road games has been a concern because of her circumstances: Griner was detained in Russia from February 2022 to December 2022 after Russian customs officials said they found vape canisters with cannabis oil in her luggage. She was freed in a prisoner exchange to which some people objected. Griner’s travel provides a logistics challenge that the Mercury and the league are apparently still working out.
The WNBA has never faced anything like Griner’s situation: a player reacclimating to her job having been in a high-profile…
