Taurasi Gives Revealing Look Into Brittney Griner’s Return to Court

The Mercury star described what she’s seeing from Griner on the court ahead of the 2023 season.

Brittney Griner hasn’t played basketball since February of 2022 when she was arrested at a Russian airport after Russian officials said they found hashish oil in her luggage. What followed was a 10-month detainment abroad before she was finally released in December thanks to a prisoner swap negotiated by the U.S. government.

Basketball was a secondary subject for so long when it came to Griner, but now it’s front and center as the eight-time All Star prepares for the 2023 WNBA season. Her longtime teammate, Diana Taurasi, shared what she’s seeing from Griner less than a week before the Mercury’s training camp starts. 

“I think she’s gotten better,” Taurasi told ESPN on Tuesday. “Yeah, I think she’s progressed. I mean, when you don’t do anything for 10 months, yeah, it’s a long strain on your body—mentally, physically.” 

The duo of Taurasi and Griner are a tandem often feared throughout the WNBA. Together, they won the 2014 WNBA title and were contending for the 2021 title when Griner was an MVP candidate. It’s been a while since they’ve played together, but Taurasi said “every week you just see her [Griner] getting a little bit better.”

“You see her do things [and you’re like] ‘Oh, oh, O.K. Spin move baseline. I remember that.’ Or getting a block,” Taurasi said. “So, there are all these little moments that she keeps stacking up and it’s going to be a big training camp for her to get back where she wants to go. But, we’re all here helping and hopefully we could all do it together.”

The Mercury start their season May 19 against the Sparks.