Brittney Griner has re-signed with the Phoenix Mercury, as first reported by Her Hoop Stats and confirmed by ESPN.
The contract is for one-year and $165,100.
Source confirms that Brittney Griner has re-signed with the Phoenix Mercury. Deal is one year, protected, $165,100. Precisely calculated to leave Phoenix just enough for two vet minimums and two base minimums in their final four standard roster spots. #WNBA #WNBAFreeAgency
— Richard Cohen (@RichardCohen1) February 18, 2023
Griner last played for Phoenix in 2021, when the team lost to the Chicago Sky in the WNBA Finals. She averaged 20.5 points, 1.9 blocks, 2.7 assists and a career-high 9.5 rebounds per game that year.
But she missed last season while being detained for almost 10 months in Russia. She was arrested at a Moscow airport while allegedly carrying cannabis oil in her luggage. The U.S. State Department later declared Griner to be “wrongfully detained.”
After months of tense negotiations, Griner was exchanged in a prisoner swap in December. She later wrote in an Instagram post that she intended to play for the Mercury this season.