PHOENIX — Brittney Griner likes to say it’s hard to get things past her.
The most literal embodiment of that is on the court. Her size deters most opponents from even challenging her, and when they do dare to test her in the paint, they often find their shots rejected into oblivion. Internally, she’s usually good at keeping her emotions under control, keeping a steely facade on the floor and letting her game do the talking. Griner also isn’t easily surprised, like when Vice President Kamala Harris made an appearance in Los Angeles for Griner’s first regular-season game this season Friday as the Phoenix superstar caught wind of the visit ahead of time.
The trauma of the last year has put some cracks into her facade, however, and the celebration of her return sometimes causes her emotions to bubble over. During the pregame ceremony at Footprint Center on Sunday before Griner’s first game in front of her home fans since being released from imprisonment in Russia, the Mercury surprised her with an entrance to Skylar Grey’s “Coming Home,” and Griner admitted it got a little dusty while jokingly chiding team president Vince Kozar for “setting her up” with that song.
Kozar told The Athletic it was a team effort to keep Griner in the dark regarding the specifics…
