The basketball world waits with abated breath as Brittney Griner’s case inches towards its conclusion. The WNBA superstar was detained in Russia in February and has been there ever since. Brittney Griner would play in Russia during the WNBA off-season, which is a common practice among many WNBA players.

But Griner is no ordinary player. She is a former number one overall pick, two-time Olympic Gold medalist, and a WNBA Champion, who is among the face of the Women’s National Basketball Association.

Phoenix Mercury selected Griner as the number pick in the 2013 WNBA Draft. Primarily coming out of college, Griner was known for her defensive prowess. But during the course of her, she evolved into a complete and dominant player.

She won the WNB Defensive Player of the Year Award twice in her career. To go with it in the later part of her career, she also won the scoring title twice. Griner made an immediate impact for Phoenix. During her second year itself, Phoenix Mercury won it all in 2014. Griner was the driving force behind that title charge.

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Recently there have been talks about a prisoner exchange between Russia and the United States to bring Griner back. But anything concrete is yet to materialize. Recently, American-Ghanaian-Liberian actor and comedian Michael Blackson made a joke on Twitter at Griner’s expense. His tweet then received some major backlash from all corners. Look at some of the reactions below-

Brittney Griner and her impact on the WNBA

Brittney is a very important player for the WNBA. She is one of the undisputed stars for WNBA and for Phoenix Mercury. She is a eight time WNBA All-Star and eight time WNBA Blocks leader. Brittney also won the Russian league title thrice from 2015 to 2017.

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She was also the NCAA Champion on 2012.

Without Griner, the Phoenix Mercury qualified for the 2021 WNBA Finals but then lost it to Candace Parker and Chicago Sky. Let us know in the comments below your favorite Brittney Griner memory