Brittney Griner.Photo: Christian Petersen/Getty
Brittney Griner’s longtime teammate and friend Diana Taurasi says the WNBA star is “getting a little bit better” every week as she prepares to make her dramatic return to the court this year.
Griner, 32, will make her WNBA return this season after she was detained in Russia for 10 months last year. The Phoenix Mercury starwas released in a prisoner swap between the United States and Russialast December and soon after signed a one-year deal to return to her longtime team.
Ahead of their season opener on May 19, Griner has been practicing with her teammates, who gave her high marks.
“I think she’s gotten better,” Taurasi, 40,toldESPN this week. “Yeah, I think she’s progressed. I mean, when you don’t do anything for 10 months, yeah, it’s a long strain on your body — mentally, physically. But every week you just see her getting a little bit better.”
The Mercury are set to begin the regular season on May 19 with an away game against the Los Angeles Sparks. The team’s first regular season home game is scheduled for May 21 against the Chicago Sky.
“And in doing so, I look forward to being able to say ‘thank you’ to those of you who advocated, wrote, and posted for me in person soon,” she wrote on Instagram.
Brittney Griner.Christian Petersen/Getty
Taurasi said it’s been “great” to have Griner back with the team, as they prepare for the season to begin next month, adding that her teammates are “all here helping and hopefully we could all do it together.”
Griner’s return to the court will likely be an emotional one, as the WNBA helped lead the sports world to rally around the detained basketball star throughout 2022 through the #WeAreBG movement. But it’s her return to basketball that has the team’s focus now that Griner is back at practice.
“I mean, there’s no one like her in women’s basketball,” Taurasi added. “How she affects the game with her size, and I think what gets lost is how good she is on the block and all those things.”
source: people.com
