Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner has addressed her decision to briefly step away from basketball to focus on her mental health.
Last Saturday, the Mercury announced that Griner would be taking a hiatus to deal with her mental health. Griner was absent for three games before returning for the team’s Saturday home contest against the Seattle Storm (a 97-91 Seattle win).
After the game, Griner offered a heartfelt and moving message where she thanked the Mercury while also reminding those who are struggling that it’s okay if they need “some time” to focus on themselves, per ESPN’s M.A. Voepel:
“You can’t plan for when you might need some time. I just want to shout out the Phoenix Mercury organization. From the jump, they were there for me, making sure I was good, letting me know that at any moment if I needed some time off, I could do that..
You see (athletes) really take a moment for themselves. The more people do that and make it normal, it’s OK. Before, no one dared even say it. You were looked upon as weak or not wanting to play or compete, which is completely the opposite mindset…
Just the evolution of ‘It’s OK to take some time.’ To speak out about it. There’s a lot more resources now as well.”
It’s been an emotional past 18 months for the WNBA legend. In February 2022, Griner was arrested in Russia for carrying under a gram of hash oil, which is illegal in the country. Six months later, she was convicted and handed a nine-year prison sentence.
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In December, however, U.S. president Joe Biden reached an agreement on a prisoner exchange with Russian officials. In exchange for allowing Griner to come back to the United States, convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout was sent back to Russia.
The Mercury have struggled this season with a 7-20 record, but they entered play on Sunday 4.5 games behind the Chicago Sky for the final postseason spot. If they can put together a little run down the stretch, Griner and company just might qualify for the eight-team dance.
