Britteny Griner returned to Phoenix in style following her year-long detainment in a Russian prison over drug charges.
Griner sported a new short hairstyle during a photoshoot for the Mercury on Friday in her first appearance in uniform since she re-signed with the organization earlier this month.
A video of the photoshoot was posted by the Mercury’s Twitter account. It showed the 32-year-old smiling in between dribbling and behind-the-back pass teases of what’s to come in her newly inked one-year deal.
A noticeable difference in Griner’s look is the loss of her signature dreadlocks. According to ESPN, she decided to change her hair style during detainment to make it easier with the brutal Russian winter.
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In February of last year, Griner was detained at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport after authorities found vape canisters with cannabis oil in her suitcase. Nearly 10 months later, she was released in exchange for known international arms dealer Viktor Bout. The prison swap relieved Griner from a nine-year sentence in a Russia penal colony after a lengthy trial that concluded in August 2022.
The seven-time All Star, two-time Olympic gold medalist and 2014 WNBA champ returned to the court for a shoot-around session on Monday, where she was all smiles. Griner has spent her entire nine-year WNBA career with the Mercury after being drafted as the first overall pick in 2013 out of Baylor.
Griner has not played in a WNBA game since 2021, when she averaged a career-high 21.8 points and 8.4 rebounds during the playoffs. For her career, she’s averaged 17.7 points on 56.6 percent shooting with 7.6 rebounds.
The Mercury’s first game will be May 19 against the L.A. Sparks.
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