Brittney Griner returned to practice with the Phoenix Mercury much sooner than she had anticipated.

Following her first training camp practice Sunday, Griner revealed that while confined to a Russian jail last year, she had been convinced that her next practice wouldn’t come until her nine-year sentence had been completed in 2030.

“I just kind of prepared myself for the long haul, honestly. You never know,” she said. “But when it came quickly, I was really happy and I knew I couldn’t wait to get back on the court.”

After the two-hour Sunday practice she felt “so good,” Griner said. But she recognizes that she’ll face both physical and mental challenges in the next three weeks as she gets ready for the upcoming season.

“It’s everything that I wanted it to be, just finding my groove, just getting back into it,” she said.

Here to compete everyday. pic.twitter.com/nVTzvhIQI8

— Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) April 30, 2023

Mercury coach Vanessa Nygaard noted that the guard was “super diligent” during the team’s 100-day plan to prepare her for her first practice.

“So we’ll continue to just push her,” Nygaard said, “and I think it’s as she can tolerate, but she did it phenomenally.”

Nygaard was almost brought to tears Sunday by seeing Griner on the court, she said.

“It’s a miracle, right?” Nygaard said. “Let’s not forget. Let’s not forget. I was just so happy to see her today. I welcomed her back today. I almost cried. She’s great. She’s great energy. She’s a dominant player, she’s unguardable, she also has such a great spirit about her. So lots of positives for [the] Mercury having her with us.”

Sunday was the first time Griner was coached by Nygaard, and she noted that she feels a “little bit of a rookie in training camp right now.”

Griner knows that she’s not where she was when she last took the court as a member of the Mercury. But she’s giving herself grace and allowing her teammates to support her as she gets back to where she wants to be.

“I feel like I’m at a good spot to start a training camp though for sure,” she said. “I mean I didn’t fall out, they didn’t have to get a stretcher or oxygen or anything, so I guess I’m doing pretty good.”

And of course, some of her teammates had jokes about her being back out on the court.

day one in the desert 🫶🏻 pic.twitter.com/rDpTLdqJWQ

— Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) May 1, 2023

“Terrible. Gosh, it sucked,” Sophie Cunningham joked when asked about having Griner back before adding: “It was absolutely amazing.”

“Just to have her vibe, her smile, her warmth and her experience, it’s a total game-changer,” she continued. “She’s the best in the league — in the world, in fact — and so just to have that presence back was awesome.”

“She’s annoying as always. So, she hasn’t lost that,” Diana Taurasi added. “No, it’s obviously, personally, I’m just, I’m happy she’s back. I’m happy she’s back on the court. I’m happy to see her with a smile on her face, and now it’s time to do a lot of work ’cause there’s a lot of work to be done.”

Nike is sending Team USA to Italy in style, with the sportswear giant's ACG (All Conditions Gear) brand releasing the designs for a special 2026 Winter Olympics collection this week.

Branded with Nike ACG badges alongside Team USA patches, this year's collection builds off a traditional red, white, and navy color scheme to outfit the country's Olympic and Paralympic athletes, as well as fans, ahead of the 2026 Games' February 6th opening ceremony in Milan.

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The designs include a long-sleeved T-shirt displaying an animated, winter sports-bound bald eagle and a zipped fleece sherpa and Therma-Fit skirt, both emblazoned with a bald eagle soaring over mountains.

Additionally, the collection boasts multiple T-shirts, long-sleeved sweat-wicking shirts, Polartec® jackets, and accessories including a baseball cap and winter beanie.

Nike is just one of many major brands outfitting Team USA for this year's competition, with the athletic corporation joining J.Crew in inviting fans to gear up for the Games after the fashion retailer dropped its own Winter Olympics capsule collection earlier this month.

How to purchase items from the Nike ACG x Team USA collection

The Nike ACG x Team USA line will hit shelves on Friday, January 23rd, with fans able to snag pieces prior to the 2026 Winter Olympics.

The collection will be available for purchase via nike.com.

Stars of the 2025 Euro stole the EA FC 26 spotlight this week, as the video game giant's fan-voted 2026 Team of the Year recognized some of international soccer's top achievers on Thursday.

Champions England fielded four honorees as forward Alessia Russo joined a trio of Lioness defenders — Leah Williamson, Millie Bright, and Team of the Year captain Lucy Bronze — on the 11-player list.

"Being named the first-ever Women's EA Sports FC TOTY Captain is an honour," Bronze said in a statement. "2025 was an amazing year — winning the Euros again and picking up my first BWSL with Chelsea — so much of that success is thanks to our fans, and it's great to see them recognize my efforts with this award."

The rest of the EA FC 26 Team of the Year also favored European titans, as Euro runners-up and Nations League winners Spain also saw a quartet of players make the roster. La Roja fully owned the Team of Year midfield as stars Aitana Bonmatí, Mariona Caldentey, and Alexia Putellas joined forward Clàudia Pina on Thursday's lineup.

Rounding out the squad were three other European club standouts as EA FC 26 also tapped Chliean goalkeeper Christiane Endler (OL Lyonnes), French defender Selma Bacha (OL Lyonnes), and Polish forward Ewa Pajor (FC Barcelona).

The first Grand Slam of 2026 has arrived, as the main draw of the Australian Open hits the court on Saturday evening, promising some early-round fireworks.

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka enters as the tournament favorite, though the rest of the WTA Top 10 promises to give her a run for her money — as No. 2 Iga Świątek chases the only major tournament title still eluding her.

Meanwhile, No. 9 Madison Keys will attempt to defend her 2025 crown, as fellow US products No. 3 Coco Gauff, No. 4 Amanda Anisimova, and No. 6 Jessica Pegula also locked down top seeds.

Another US superstar will return this weekend, with 45-year-old Venus Williams following up her impressive 2025 performances by accepting a wild-card entry to her first Australian Open in five years.

"Even though I've been on tour for a long time, this is also still my first experience as [reigning champion]," Keys said. "I'm really just trying to soak in all of the really cool fun parts."

How to watch the 2026 Australian Open

The 2026 Australian Open begins at 7 PM ET on Saturday, with Williams as well as top-seed Sabalenka and world No. 7 Jasmine Paolini set to face their first opponents on the first day of the Slam's main draw.

The second day of first-round matches will see the rest of the WTA elite in action, as No. 2 Świątek, No. 3 Gauff, No. 4 Anisimova, No. 6 Pegula, and No. 9 Keys — as well as No. 5 Elena Rybakina, No. 8 Mirra Andreeva, and No. 10 Belinda Bencic — will hit the hardcourt in Melbourne starting at 7 PM ET on Sunday.

All matches in the 2026 Australian Open — from the first round through the women's final on Saturday, January 31st — will air live across ESPN platforms.

Monday's NCAA basketball action will put two of the nation's top guards to the test, as No. 10 TCU faces No. 14 Ohio State in Newark, New Jersey's Coretta Scott King Classic — part of a stacked MLK Day slate.

Buckeye sophomore Jaloni Cambridge is on a tear in this season, averaging 21.8 points per game — good for No. 10 in the country — and tallying 102 points, 20 rebounds, and 20 assists across Ohio State's last three games.

At the same time, TCU has seen similar stylings from Notre Dame transfer Olivia Miles, with the senior putting up a career-high 19.2 points per game while sitting at No. 9 in the nation behind her 7.3 assists average for the Horned Frogs.

Even more, Miles is lapping her collegiate cohort in triple doubles on the season, posting four of the elite stat-sheet performances while all other NCAA players have a maximum of one.

Both teams are meeting expectations head-on this season, impressing following 2025 NCAA tournament exits that spurred significant offseason roster changes.

Ohio State star forward Cotie McMahon transferred to Ole Miss after the Buckeyes' second-round ousting, while TCU graduated standout starting guard Hailey Van Lith and center Sedona Prince.

With Miles and Cambridge leading the charge, however, both squads are flourishing: TCU faltered just once in their 2025/26 campaign so far — a January 3rd overtime loss to unranked Utah — while Ohio State's two season losses came at the hands of titans No. 1 UConn and No. 3 UCLA.

"Ultimately, [TCU forward] Marta [Suarez] and Miles are two of the best players in college basketball," Horned Frogs head coach Mark Campbell said after Sunday's win over Arizona State. "But for our team to reach our full potential, we need these other players to show great growth. And I think we have."

How to watch TCU vs. Ohio State basketball on Monday

The No. 10 Horned Frogs will take on the No. 14 Buckeyes at 12 PM ET on Monday, airing live on FOX.