Brittney Griner Not Traveling With Mercury on Road Trip Due to Mental Health

The Phoenix star will not play in the team’s next two games.

Brittney Griner will not travel with the Mercury for the team’s two-game road trip to focus on her mental health, the team announced on Saturday.

“The Mercury fully support Brittney [Griner] and we will continue to work together on a timeline for her return,” the team’s statement read.

Phoenix (6–17) opens a two-game road trip Sunday with a matchup against the Sky before a battle against the Fever on Tuesday. 

Griner’s upcoming absence from the team comes after the Mercury star rejoined the franchise this season after serving a nearly 10-month detention in Russian prison for allegedly carrying hashish oil in an airport. In December, Griner was released and returned to the United States. 

However, Griner’s return to the team has not come without unfortunate events while in transit between games. On June 10, Griner was harassed by a social media personality while walking through the Dallas airport in preparation to board a commercial flight, hours after the Mercury lost to the Wings.

Following the incident, the WNBA approved charter flights for Griner for the remainder of the season as a safety measure. A couple of weeks after the initial situation, Griner voiced her thoughts about the highly discussed topic of charter flights for all WNBA teams, describing the league’s travel situation as one that had reached “rock bottom.”

Through 20 games this season, Griner is averaging 18.2 points while shooting 57.3% from the floor, 6.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.7 blocks. She also earned her ninth WNBA All-Star selection. 

Currently, Phoenix sits at No. 10 in the WNBA standings.