Brittney Griner had a Texas homecoming, in private and on the court with the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA star's home state six months after her release from a Russian prison.
Even before the first of consecutive games against the Dallas Wings, Griner was getting shouts of encouragement while out eating with teammates. And less than two hours before Wednesday night's game, she met in private with the women's basketball team from Baylor, the campus 100 miles away where she was part of a 40-0 national championship in 2012.
“It was just a lot of support. It was just good seeing everybody and just being back in Texas. I mean miss being here, so it was really cool," she said. "When I came out, the love, that meant a lot to me.” this season. It is the first time for Griner to play in her home state since before she missed all of last season while detained in Russia for nearly 10 months on drug-related charges that ended with a prisoner swap in December.
Phoenix and Dallas play again Friday night, when the game is already sold out in the arena on the University of Texas-Arlington campus that can hold about 7,000 fans. “It just was an emotional moment for all of us,” Trammell said. “Just honored and blessed that she’s on the floor safe, healthy. And like she told me, she goes, it’s all happiness from here.”
Now that Griner is back on the court, Brown said it is important that she knows how much everyone was pulling for her and praying for her in a difficult time. Nicki Collen, who just finished her second season as Baylor's coach, said her goal is to retire Griner's No. 42 jersey, as early as the upcoming season when the school opens its new basketball arena. No one has worn that number for the Bears since Griner's senior season in 2012-13, the last time she was on campus for a game.
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