WNBA superstar Brittney Griner makes surprise Phoenix Mercury exit after 11 years for rival
After playing for the Phoenix Mercury her whole career, WNBA player Brittney Griner has chosen to join the Atlanta Dream.
Griner, 34, was chosen first overall in the WNBA draft and signed with the Mercury in 2013.
Since then, she has received innumerable honors and been selected to the All-Star team ten times in eleven seasons, solidifying her status as one of the greatest players in league history.
But now, the center will be joining players like Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard in Georgia.
Griner has been searching for a fresh challenge since he became a free agent at the end of the 2024 season.
In a video released earlier this week, she and a few new teammates revealed their intention to join the Dream.
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“So, free agency has been everything I wanted it to be, honestly,” Griner stated. I managed to locate my destination.
“To be honest, the team, the players individually, and my family were the main factors that finally influenced my choice.
“I’m excited about this chapter since it was cool for me to enter free agency for the first time.
“Leaving what you know—what I’ve known my entire career—was a difficult decision.
“But there’s also an exciting factor of like ‘ok this is like a rebrand now’ I get to show them something different.”
This week, the Phoenix Mercury signed Alyssa Thomas from the Connecticut Sun in exchange for Griner joining the Dream.
The Las Vegas Aces were also considering hiring Griner, but ultimately the organization chose to look at other options.
With the exception of 2022, when she was unfairly imprisoned in Russia for 10 months before being released in a prisoner swap, the center has participated in every WNBA season.