The W.N.B.A. begins its 27th season on Friday with new rules, new rosters and one big return. Here’s what to expect.
Brittney Griner is back.
After nearly 10 months in detention in Russia, Brittney Griner is playing basketball again.
Griner’s detention clouded the W.N.B.A. season last year. She was arrested at an airport near Moscow on drug charges in February 2022, and subsequently convicted and sentenced to nine years in a penal colony. The league regularly paid tribute to her during the season, and her fellow players spoke out on her behalf.
Griner was released in a prisoner swap in December, and after time spent recovering privately, she signed a one-year contract to return to the Phoenix Mercury.
Griner played no basketball during her imprisonment and is still working to get back into game shape. “Everybody tells me to give myself grace and that it’s going to take time,” she said at a news conference in April, “but that’s the hardest thing to do for a pro athlete because we always want to be right back at our top shape.”
Griner and the Mercury open their season on Friday in Los Angeles against the Sparks.
Star players are joining forces.
The off-season was dominated by free-agent signings and trades that established what could be two superteams: the Liberty and…
