Griner is now set to return for her 10th season after she was detained for 10 months in a Russian prison.
Brittney Griner #42 of the Phoenix Mercury during the first half in Game Four of the 2021 WNBA semifinals at Footprint Center on October 06, 2021 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Griner delivered one of her best performances in 2021. She finished the season with a career-high 9.5 rebounds per game and averaged 20.5 points and 2.7 assists per contest.
She also averaged 2.4 offensive rebounds on the year.
BRITTNEY GRINER MAKES SECOND PUBLIC APPEARANCE SINCE RUSSIAN PRISON RELEASE AT WM PHOENIX OPEN
The 32-year-old did not play with the Mercury in 2022 season due to her detainment.
Griner traveled to Russia during the WNBA offseason to play professional basketball. She was arrested at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport last February after Russian authorities discovered she had vape canisters with cannabis oil in her luggage.
Following the arrest, the U.S. State Department declared Griner as "wrongfully detained."
WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner is escorted from a court room after a hearing, in Khimki just outside Moscow, Russia, Aug. 4, 2022. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)
After months of strained negotiations, Griner was released from a Russian penal colony in early December in a prisoner exchange for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
President Biden tweeted about Griner’s release, writing, "Moments ago I spoke to Brittney Griner. She is safe. She is on a plane. She is on her way home."
Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner pauses on the court during the second half of a WNBA basketball game against the Seattle Storm, Sept. 3, 2019, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)
Just over a week after her release, Griner took to Instagram to announce her intention to play for the Mercury in the upcoming season.
"I also want to make one thing very clear: I intend to play basketball for the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury this season, 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 captioned the Dec. 16 post.
The Mercury are scheduled to play the Sparks in the season opener on May 19. Griner is a seven-time WNBA All-Star and two-time Olympic gold medalist.