Brittany Griner has promised she will never play basketball overseas again, unless she is with the U.S. National Team. But now she has the opportunity to play in a domestic league during the WNBA offseason.
Griner, along with Phoenix Mercury teammate Natasha Cloud, will play as part of the Phantom BC team in Unrivaled, a new 3-on-3 professional league based in Miami. This will be the first time she has played in a game during the WNBA offseason since she was detained in Russia in 2022.
To supplement her WNBA salary, Griner played in Russia during the offseason and earned $1.5 million per year.
“I feel like there’s something missing in the offseason. I’m used to playing year-round,” Griner said at media day Tuesday. “I wanted to work year-round. This will help me stay fresh, dust off all the dust and be ready for when (the WNBA) comes back.”
Why do WNBA players go to Russia? What you need to know
Griner was jailed when she returned to Russia to compete in February 2022 after being arrested on drug charges at a Moscow airport and then customs officials said they found a vape container containing cannabis oil in her luggage. The U.S. State Department classified her as wrongfully detained in May 2022, and Griner was released in a prisoner exchange in December 2022.
The 34-year-old averaged 17.8 points and 6.6 rebounds last season as the Mercury advanced to the first round of the WNBA playoffs before being eliminated by the Minnesota Lynx.
Griner is an unrestricted free agent heading into next season but has no plans to leave Phoenix. Griner and her wife, Cherelle, became even more rooted in Phoenix when they welcomed their son, Bash, in July.
Now, with the release of this year’s Unrivaled, Griner has found a place to prepare for the upcoming season with the Mercury after training out the past two offseasons in Phoenix.
“It’s going to be a challenge for me to play a little bit differently,” Griner said. “I’ve been trying to develop my game anyway, not just playing in the low post all the time. Spreading out, playing a little bit on the wing as well. I’m looking forward to showcasing that and being challenged. And then” I’ll be at my best whenever I come back. [to Phoenix].”
This article originally appeared in the Arizona Republic: Brittany Griner, first offseason league appearance since Russia
