Phoenix Mercury Star Brittney Griner Sidelined with Injury Ahead of WNBA Opener

Nine-time WNBA All-Star and Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner has been sidelined with an injury. The team announced the news on Monday. Griner, Phoenix's leading scorer and rebounder last season, will miss the opener vs. Las Vegas.

Dustin Schutte | May 14, 2024

Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner and guard Diana Taurasi / Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

In this story:

The Phoenix Mercury will be without one of their key pieces for the season opener against the Las Vegas Aces on Tuesday night. The team announced that center Brittney Griner will be out due to a toe fracture.

Phoenix made the announcement on Monday with a post on social media.

"Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner has sustained a toe fracture on her left foot," the team wrote on X. "Griner will be out and re-evaluated in the coming weeks. Updates will be provided as appropriate."

Griner was the Mercury's top scorer and rebounder a season ago, averaging 17.5 points and 6.3 boards per contest. She also averaged 2.2 assists and 1.6 blocks for Phoenix.

Griner was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2013 WNBA Draft out of Baylor. She has a laundry list of accolades during her career in the league. Griner is a nine-time WNBA All-Star, an eight-time league leader in blocks and a two-time scoring champion. She was also a 2014 WNBA champion with the Mercury.

Phoenix opens its season against the Aces on Tuesday night. Las Vegas has won back-to-back league titles and is looking to pull off a third consecutive championship this year.

Tuesday's game between the Mercury and Aces is scheduled for a 10 p.m. ET tipoff. The game will air on ESPN 2, ESPN-plus and Disney-plus. It's the second game of a nationally-broadcast double-header, with the first game featuring the Indiana Fever and Connecticut Sun.

At this time, the Mercury did not provide a timetable on a potential return for Griner.

Related WNBA stories