Brittney Griner is officially ending her 11-year run with the Phoenix Mercury to start a new chapter with the Atlanta Dream.
The 10-time All-Star center announced Tuesday night (Jan. 28) on Instagram that she intends to sign with the Atlanta squad for one year. Her agent, Lindsay Kagawa Colas, confirmed to The Associated Press that Griner will ink the contract with Atlanta when WNBA free agents can officially begin signing on Feb. 1.
“Free agency has been everything I wanted it to be, honestly. I was able to find where I wanted to go,” the 34-year-old shared in her announcement video. “Honestly, what led me to that decision ultimately was the team, the players. Also my family. I’m thrilled for this chapter.”
The move marks a significant shift for the six-foot-nine athlete, who hasn’t been a free agent since being drafted No. 1 overall by Phoenix in 2013. While the decision to leave her longtime team wasn’t easy, Griner expressed excitement about the fresh start. “It was a hard decision since you’re leaving what you know. What I’ve known for my whole career,” she admitted. “There’s an exciting factor of like, OK, this is a rebrand now. I get to show them something different.”
According to ESPN, Griner’s addition to the Dream marks one of the most high-profile free-agent acquisitions in the team’s history. She now joins a talented roster including 2022 first overall draft pick, Rhyne Howard, and Allisha Gray who was traded to the team in 2023. Griner had reportedly also been in talks with joining the Dallas Wings and Las Vegas Aces before settling on Atlanta.
The career move caps a the last few years for Griner, who missed the entire 2022 WNBA season after being detained in Russia for nearly 10 months. She was arrested on drug charges after authorities found vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage. The wife and mother-of-one was later freed in a high-profile prisoner swap that involved the release of Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
Despite the challenges, Griner returned to the court in 2023 and made a major impact, averaging 17.8 points and 6.6 rebounds, per ESPN.
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