For the entirety of her 11 year WNBA career, Brittney Griner has called Phoenix home as a member of the Phoenix Mercury. But on Tuesday night, Griner decided to try her hand elsewhere for a shocking new location on the other side of the United States.
Griner, who is of course best known for her truly unfortunate ten month detainment in Russian prison in 2022, has always been a productive player in the WNBA when she is on the court.
Of her 11 years with the Mercury, Griner has been selected to the WNBA All-Star Game ten times, showing that she truly has perhaps the most longevity of any player in league history.
At 34 years of age, Griner isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. And moving forward, she will continue her productive ways as a member of the Atlanta Dream, signing a one-year deal which she announced in a video shared on her Instagram page.
“So, free agency has been everything I wanted it to be,” Griner said in the video. “I was able to find where I wanted to go. And honestly, what led me to that decision ultimately was the team, the players, as individuals, and then also my family.”
Griner did acknowledge that the decision was a difficult one, but that she is excited for a “rebrand” in her career in a different city.
“You know it was a hard decision,” Griner said, “you’re leaving what you know, what I’ve known for my whole career. But there’s also the exciting factor of like, OK, this is a rebrand now, I get to show them something different.”
Naturally, WNBA fans had plenty of say on social media about Griner’s move, particularly about just how shocking it is to see her in a new city given how long she had spent in Phoenix.
“One of most stunning free agency moves in league history,” wrote ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania on X.
“I did not have Brittney Griner going to the Atlanta Dream on my bingo card,” wrote WNBA sports betting writer Sara Jane Gamelli on X.
