Brittney Griner's former Mercury teammates react to Phoenix return
Hours before the Phoenix Mercury take on the Atlanta Dream could be filled with pure emotion from Brittney Griner. The former Phoenix center has spent this season not wearing the purple and orange threads.
Rather, she's been in the ATL, that is, with the Dream. During the offseason, Griner left the Mercury and signed with the Dream in free agency.
It shocked many, including long-time fans, who thought she would be with the team forever. However, as former teammates DeWanna Bonner and Kahleah Copper prepare for Wednesday's game, along with head coach Nate Tibbetts, something feels different.
Starting with Bonner, she played with Griner for six seasons. Together, the Mercury convincingly won the 2014 WNBA championship. After Wednesday's shootaround, the forward revealed her thoughts on what a Griner homecoming will be like.
'I mean, you can't mention Phoenix without mentioning BG. What she's done. She won championships here. She grew up here. Literally, got drafted here and just became a great person to this community. I'm sure Phoenix is excited to get her back and just to see her and everything she has going on,' Bonner said.
'She had a shoe drive going on this afternoon, so bring your shoes, donate to the BG shoe drive. We're excited to get her back here in Phoenix. We're excited to see her. The fans want to see her on the court, and I'm sure that it'll probably be emotional for her, but we're excited to love on her a little bit.'
Brittney Griner has support from the Mercury
Much like Bonner, Copper expressed something similar. Although the guard and center only played together for one season, they were insane competitors.
Both squared off in the 2021 WNBA Finals, which many believe, was the peak of Griner's prime as a basketball player. Once Copper came to Phoenix in 2024, she felt the gravitational pull that the current Atlanta center has on the city.
She feels that pull will be even stronger, Wednesday night.
'It's going to be amazing. I think what BG has done for this organization since she came in here as a rookie will be amazing,' Copper said via Desert Wave Media Co on Tuesday.
'I think this organization has done a great job of the rollout thus far for her coming back. I'm excited for the X Factor to go out there and give her that standing ovation she deserves.'
Lastly, the second-year head coach in Tibbetts saw the love Griner has for the city. He also saw the city reciprocate that love in a multitude of ways.
Even with somewhat of an abrupt exit, the Phoenix coach wants nothing but love from his home crowd.
'The hope is that the X Factor gives her a ton of love. What she did here and what she's meant to this organization and city is gonna be hard to match ever, right?' Tibbetts said on Monday.
'She's one of one and the hope is that X Factor gives her a ton of love. It's well-deserved. BG is a special person. We'll always be excited to see her.'
Related: Mercury's Alyssa Thomas 'prepared' for potential lockout heading into CBA talks
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
20 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Crew chief Denike talks 'unanimous' decision to go for Brickyard win
Charles Denike, crew chief for Bubba Wallace, talks about the decision to stay on the track and go for the win at Indianapolis.
Yahoo
20 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Browns QB Kenny Pickett will be sidelined because of hamstring injury, AP source says
Cleveland Browns quarterback Kenny Pickett will be sidelined because of a hamstring injury. The injury is believed to have occurred during a red zone 11-on-11 drill late in Saturday's practice, a person with knowledge of the injury said Sunday. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the Browns were off on Sunday. Coach Kevin Stefanski is expected to address Pickett's status before Monday's practice. Pickett will be evaluated later in the week. The Browns have their first padded practice on Monday and go for three straight days until taking Thursday off and then practicing on Friday and Saturday. ESPN first reported the injury. Pickett is vying with Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders for the starting quarterback spot. Cleveland opens the season on Sept. 7 against Cincinnati. Pickett and Joe Flacco have received most of the snaps with the first team during the first four days of practice. Gabriel got some first-team reps while Sanders' just began getting some second-team work Friday and Saturday. After struggling early in the week, Pickett had his best practice on Saturday that included a couple of touchdown passes in red zone drills. The coaching staff likes Pickett's mobility and the ability to create plays on the run. 'Coaches are looking for the guy that's consistent, that's the same guy every day that they can count on. They can call any play and they know that we'll get them out of a bad play," Pickett said on Thursday. 'If the shots called and it's not there, we'll check it down.' Pickett was acquired from Philadelphia in March. A 2022 first-round selection by Pittsburgh, Pickett has 25 career starts with 15 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. ___ AP NFL: Joe Reedy, The Associated Press
New York Times
22 minutes ago
- New York Times
Joe Ryan ‘would like to stay' with Twins; Derek Falvey talks trade deadline plans
MINNEAPOLIS — Saturday's loss to the Washington Nationals was Joe Ryan's final start before the July 31 trade deadline, and it also could have been the All-Star's last start in a Minnesota Twins uniform. But as rumors swirl around the highly sought-after right-hander who ranks No. 1 on The Athletic's trade deadline big board, Ryan downplayed his odds of being traded and expressed a desire to stay in Minnesota with two years of team control remaining beyond this one. Advertisement 'As far as a trade goes, I don't see it happening,' Ryan said. 'At the same time, it's completely out of my hands, so I really haven't thought about it much. I think we have a good opportunity, years forward, to do something here, so I would like to stay. But like I said, it's out of my control.' Ryan is 10-5 with a 2.82 ERA and 137-to-24 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 121 1/3 innings this season, and the 29-year-old has a career 3.70 ERA over 591 2/3 innings for the Twins since debuting in late 2021. His combination of front-line performance and team control through 2027 makes him very valuable. Of course, those same traits are why the Twins would seemingly need to be blown away by an offer to even consider moving Ryan, who is earning just $3 million this season and figures to make less than $10 million in 2026 via arbitration. But contenders are calling the Twins about Ryan just in case. 'I've obviously seen some of the media side about it,' Ryan said of deadline chatter. 'It hasn't really been a huge topic of discussion (in the clubhouse). People aren't freaking out about anything. Just play baseball and focus on what we can control. And the front office will take care of the rest of that.' That's just the Joe Ryan Experience, baby! — Minnesota Twins (@Twins) July 16, 2025 As for the front office, Twins president Derek Falvey indicated Sunday that the conversations with other teams are still largely in the feeling-out stage, perhaps a result of MLB's expanded playoff field leading to fewer clear-cut sellers and more fence-sitting wild-card hopefuls. 'There are a lot of discussions, don't get me wrong,' Falvey said. 'There are a lot of calls back and forth. But in terms of actual proposals and offers, this stuff tends to come as you get much closer to the deadline. In some of these conversations, they're not advanced yet, because it's just timing.' Advertisement But with only three games left until the trade deadline, the Twins have a 50-55 record that puts them 11th in the 15-team American League and sits eighth in line for three wild-card spots. It also ensures they'll have a losing record on deadline day, which typically leads to a team being sellers. Ryan might be correct that he's unlikely to be traded, but the Twins have six impending free agents who could be cashed in for some future value as two-month rentals instead of leaving for nothing this winter, including solid role players Harrison Bader, Willi Castro, Chris Paddack and Danny Coulombe. High-end relievers Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax and Brock Stewart are team controlled through 2027, just like Ryan. But there's a growing sense around the league that one or more of the Twins' late-inning bullpen arms could be gettable — or at least more gettable than Ryan — with a big enough offer. 'The job is to evaluate what comes our way and navigate in any direction possible,' Falvey said. 'We still feel like there's a lot of talent on this roster. I've never considered a label on what we do here. And that's going to be our deadline every year. Quite frankly, I've never pivoted from that.' Jhoan Duran's full entrance because it's fun at night — CJ Fogler 🫡 (@cjzero) July 12, 2025 Nearly everything points to the Twins being sellers at the deadline, to some degree. They're below .500, with playoff odds under 15 percent, and there's little reason to think a strong stretch-run push is doable for a team with an AL-worst 19-29 record since June 1 and a 74-88 record in its last 162 games. Worse, their rotation is running on fumes. Pablo López isn't expected back from a shoulder strain for several weeks, David Festa just joined him on the injured list with shoulder problems of his own, and no one can be sure what to expect from Bailey Ober's imminent return after a brutal June. Advertisement And if those aren't enough reasons to write off the slim possibility of a late-season surge into the playoffs, Byron Buxton was removed from Saturday's game with left side soreness and sat out Sunday's loss to the Nationals after an MRI showed rib cartilage irritation. He's considered day to day. On the other hand, selling would all but guarantee missing the playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons. And the uncertain ownership situation also looms over everything, making it tough to plan for the future without even knowing who will be in charge or whether they'll retain the Falvey-led front office. 'We never have an eye on just one season,' Falvey said. 'We try to think about, in this case, what's it mean for 2025? What's it mean for 2026, 2027, 2028? We're going to approach it exactly the same way and continue to try to figure out what the right deals are for the Twins, short- and long-term.' (Photo of Joe Ryan: Justin Edmonds / Getty Images)
