Brittney Griner returned to Footprint Center on Sunday for her first game since spending 10 months in Russian detainment.
Phoenix Mercury fans gave Griner a warm welcome during the pre-game introductions, and it didn’t take long for them to have another reason to cheer.
On the game’s first possession, Griner posted up, got Chicago Sky center Elizabeth Williams to bite on a pump fake, and finished the basket. She completed the and-one by making the free throw.
Here’s a look at her first play back home in nearly two years:
First bucket, BG! pic.twitter.com/Idb1rgogBJ
— Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) May 21, 2023
Griner returned to the United States in February after the Biden administration completed a prisoner exchange with Russia. She was detained at an airport in February 2022 on charges of drug possession for carrying vape cartridges with cannabis oil in her luggage.
The seven-time All-Star didn’t miss a beat in her first WNBA game since falling to the Sky in the 2021 WNBA Finals. Griner went 7-of-9 for 18 points with four blocks in Friday’s 94-71 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks.
Even on the road, she praised the support from the Crypto.com Arena crowd.
“It was nice to be back,” Griner said, per ESPN’s M.A. Voepel. “The love from the fans when I came out was amazing. I definitely felt that. I mean, I felt it when I was over there.”
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