The WNBA will do its part to advocate and support Brittney Griner this season.
The league announced Tuesday that Griner’s initials and No. 42 jersey number will be inscribed along the sideline of each of the 12 WNBA courts.
Griner, a nine-time All-Star with the Phoenix Mercury since she entered the league in 2013, has been detained in Russia — where she plays during the WNBA offseason — for the last 75 days following her arrest for illegally bringing vape cartridges containing hashish oil into the country, according to ESPN.
“As we begin the 2022 season, we are keeping Brittney at the forefront of what we do through the game of basketball and in the community,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement. “We continue to work on bringing Brittney home and are appreciative of the support the community has shown BG and her family during this extraordinarily challenging time.”
The league and the Mercury also plan to continue on Griner’s community service initiatives. During tip-off weekend, which occurs starting Friday when the season commences, every WNBA team will participate in Griner’s Heart and Sole Shoe Drive. Griner started the philanthropic event in 2016 to serve the homeless population in Phoenix.
“In conjunction with the league, the other 11 teams, and those closest to BG, we will work to keep her top-of-mind as we tip the 2022 season,” Jim Pitman, executive vice president and general manager of the Mercury, said in a statement. “While we await her return, our main concern remains for her safety and well-being. Our fans will miss her impact on the court and in our community, and this gesture of including her initials on every court and our BG’s Heart and Sole Shoe Drive activation in every market are for them and for her.”
The WNBA also announced that Griner will be paid her full salary, and Phoenix will be granted a replacement player until Griner returns to the United States and is ready to play.
