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LOS ANGELES — Brittney Griner, who less than six months ago was in a Russian prison and fearing she might not ever get home, made her official return to professional basketball Friday night.
Griner, 32, had a team-high 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting, six rebounds and four blocks for the Phoenix Mercury in a 94-71 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks on opening night for the WNBA. It was another milestone in her path back from a harrowing ordeal that included almost 10 months of detainment.
“It’s a miracle that she’s here,’’ Mercury head coach Vanessa Nygaard told reporters before the game.
Shortly before tipoff, Griner exchanged hugs with Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff, who were in attendance at Crypto.com Arena. Other notables included Dawn Staley, Billie Jean King, Magic Johnson and former Lakers stars Paul Gasol and Michael Cooper.
The boisterous crowd of 10,396, full of young fans, some wearing “We Are BG’’ pins in honor of Griner, gave her a long and loud standing ovation.
Griner, an eight-time All-Star, quickly made her presence felt on the court.
After winning the opening tip, Griner dished out an assist on the Mercury’s first possession, grabbed a defensive rebound after racing down the court and moments later drained a 21-foot jumper to put Phoenix up 5-0. It was a surreal sight considering the ordeal that began in February 2022 when she was playing for a pro team in Russia.
Griner was detained at a Moscow airport after vape cartridges containing cannabis oil allegedly were found in her luggage. She pleaded guilty to the drug charges and was sentenced to nine years in prison and moved to a penal colony.
Freed in December as part of a prisoner swap, the 6-foot-9 center took the court to rousing cheers at Crypto.com Arena for a game televised nationally by ESPN.
It was the first game of a 40-game regular season that will test Griner’s ability to regain her All-Star form. During the 2020-21 season, the last she played in the WNBA, Griner was an MVP candidate.
The Mercury open at home on Sunday against the Chicago Sky.
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