Brittney Griner makes an unofficial return to Mercury

PHOENIX — Brittney GrinerThe WNBA’s unofficial return on Friday night was filled with hugs, greetings and old moments.

In her first competitive action game in 572 days — since Game 4 of the 2021 WNBA Finals — Griner had 10 points in 17 minutes in a 90-71 loss to Los Angeles sparksshowed glimpses of the player she was before her 10-month detention in Russia caused her to miss the entire last season.

From the moment she stepped out of the tunnel to the courthouse about 90 minutes before kick-off, Griner was the center of attention during the trial. Phoenix Waterpre-season finals. She can’t go the entire length of the field without being stopped, high-fived, or hugged. Anyone she passed, including the Sparks players and coaches, smiled and wanted to say hello the most.

While it’s a quiet welcome compared to her official return to Mercury’s home opener on May 21, it’s still a welcome one.

The crowd gave her a standing ovation as she was introduced before the game and a group of fans near the tunnel gave her a standing ovation as she walked off the pitch after halftime . When fans were allowed to enter the field during the timeout with the game remaining 8:58 to form a conga line while DJ Quad City’s “C’mon ‘N Ride It” reverberated throughout the arena, the fans cheered. shouted and waved to Griner as they danced by Mercury’s bench.

On the field, Mercury wasted no time getting Griner involved. After she won the opening tip, they fed her in the post on their first three properties without ending in revenue. Phoenix made it clear from the outset in the first quarter that their offense was still ahead of the two-time best defensive player of the year.

Griner did on Friday night what Griner always does at the WNBA. She continues to work in post with a series of swings and cards that leave Sparks defenders hands-on and sometimes helpless at her size. She seamlessly chose the two-player game with guard Diana Taurasiserve the WNBA’s all-time top scorer as they did together for nine seasons.

Griner also didn’t hesitate to attack and attack with the glass. She finished the first quarter with seven points, scoring just one more before halftime. She added another basket on a short basic jumper in the third inning and showed off some moves that made her one of the most dominant centers of her generation, whether it was her twist to the belt or a double jog evokes memories of Hakeem Olajuwon’s Shake the Dream.

She played the first 5 minutes and 2 seconds of the game before taking a break. Coach Vanessa Nygaard said earlier on Friday that how Griner feels will determine how much she plays. She started the game just as well in the second and third quarters, before being knocked out with a score of 6:43 remaining in the third.

Before Griner started warming up on the field with about 61 minutes before the game started, she spent time talking with Chiney and Nneka Ogwumike from Sparks and posed for a photo with a young fan in Brittney Griner’s black No 42 jersey. At one point when Griner was sitting on Mercury’s bench during the warm-up, teammates Sophie Cunningham bent down and asked her if she was excited.

Griner, leaning forward, looked at her and nodded.

She has.