Welcome back to the WNBA, Brittney Griner.
Prior to Friday night’s 2023 season opener between the Los Angeles Sparks and Phoenix Mercury at Crypto.com Arena, the Sparks made a nice gesture by highlighting the Mercury center’s return.
The public address announcer welcomed Griner back and she received a standing ovation from the away crowd in Los Angeles.
Once the game started, it didn’t take long for Griner to make her presence felt. Less than a minute into the contest, she knocked down a jumper from the top of the key.
Griner was playing in her first game since 2021.
She missed the entire 2022 season after being detained at a Russian airport in February 2022. Following a nearly 10-month detainment on drug-related charges, she returned to the United States in December as part of a prisoner swap.
Vice President Kamala Harris delivered a pregame speech to the Mercury ahead of Griner’s return.
Harris was one of several notable names in attendance for the game, along with Magic Johnson, Dawn Staley and Billie Jean King, among others.
Griner, 32, was the first overall pick of the Mercury in 2013. She’s made seven All-Star Games and helped Phoenix win the WNBA Finals in 2014.
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