For years, Brittney Griner earned extra income by playing professionally overseas during WNBA offseasons. Now, following her detention in a Russian penal colony, the 33-year-old will spend this winter hooping in the United States.
The Phoenix Mercury star has agreed to join Unrivaled Basketball, a new US-based 3-on-3 league co-founded by WNBA All-Stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier.
The upstart circuit will launch in January and promises to pay ‘the highest average salary in women’s professional sports league history,’ according to a May press release. And that’s significant, because many WNBA players are looking for new ways to supplement their income now that they’re no longer playing in Eastern Europe.
In fact, Stewart was a teammate of Griner’s with Russa’s UMMC Ekaterinburg until 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine. Following the invasion, Stewart signed with Turkey’s Fenerbahçe SK, where she played with Collier.
Griner is the 24th player to join the league, which will have 30 players overall. Other players to join the league include Arike Ogunbowale, Kelsey Plum, Angel Reese, Natasha Cloud, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Courtney Vandersloot, Brittney Sykes, DiJonai Carrington and Tiffany Hayes.
Mercury center Brittney Griner (42) works around Minnesota Lynx forward Alanna Smith (8)
Unrivaled Basketball, as the new league is called, made the announcement on Wednesday
Griner is escorted from court after a hearing in Khimki, just outside Moscow, August 4, 2022
There have also been reports that UConn star Paige Bueckers will play in the league, although Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark will be taking a pass.
The season will be played over eight weeks from January to March, and there will also be a one-on-one single-elimination tournament with a $250,000 payout for the winner. Much of the inaugural season will be played at a custom facility in Miami’s Media Pro Studios.
Griner was famously arrested at a Moscow airport when security found cannabis oil cartridges in her baggage. She was ultimately convicted and sentenced to nine years in a Russian labor camp, but was freed in a prisoner swap after 10 months of captivity.
She has since returned to Phoenix, where she led the Mercury in rebounds and blocks, while finishing second in points per game.
The nine-time All-Star was Defensive Player of the Year in 2014 and 2015. She also helped guide the Mercury to a WNBA title in 2014.
Unrivaled Basketball already has a litany of high-profile investors, including US soccer legends Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe, as well as NBA greats Carmelo Anthony and Steve Nash, actor Ashton Kutcher and LPGA champion Michelle Wie West.
