Brittney Griner and other WNBA players happy to be playing in US during their offseason

Happy to be playing

Photo: AP

Phantom's Brittney Griner, practices defensive plays, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025, in Medley, Fla. 

Brittney Griner is embracing the opportunity to play again during the WNBA offseason without having to go overseas.

The 6-foot-9 WNBA All-Star said she would never play abroad again except with USA Basketball after spending 10 months in a Russian prison in 2022 when authorities said a search of her luggage revealed vape cartridges containing oil derived from cannabis.

Now she’ll be playing in the new Unrivaled 3-on-3 league that’s based in Miami. Play begins Friday night and goes until the middle of March.

“I feel like something was missing in my offseason; I was used to playing year-round,” Griner said. “I wanted to go back to working year-round. This is going to help me stay fresh, knocking all the dust off and being ready for when the (WNBA) comes back around.”

She is not alone. Several of her WNBA peers are also embracing the chance to supplement their incomes while remaining close to friends and family. Griner is one of 36 WNBA players in Unrivaled, many who say it would be difficult to see themselves playing overseas — especially if the new league proves to be successful.

“We want there to be more for people" to choose from, said Unrivaled co-founder Napheesa Collier. “We are not trying to take away overseas, we want there to be other options. It’s really hard for my family where I’m at in my life right now. So I’m not going to say I never will.”

The Minnesota Lynx All-Star had played in Europe during the WNBA offseason until 2021. She hasn't gone back since.

Other players agree that it would be difficult to go back to foreign countries.

“It would be a hard sell,” said Kayla McBride, who has spent many years playing professionally in Turkey in the WNBA offseason. “But, you know, especially with Fenerbahce, it’s always been a really, really big part of my life in my career.”

Unrivaled is offering salaries on par with some of the overseas leagues and is paying on time which is something that doesn’t happen often in the foreign leagues.

“A lot of us aren’t used to that overseas so that’s been really, really nice,” Azura Stevens said. “Just to get our paychecks on time and just everything that we’ve been offered has been delivered from Unrivaled so just shout out to all the management here. It’s really been reassuring as a player just to show up in a league where they say what they mean and mean what they say.”

Courtney Williams was planning on going back to China to play this offseason until Unrivaled came calling. Williams said that the new league offered to match what she was making in China so it was an easy decision.

“I’m 30, I can’t leave no money on the table no more,” Williams said laughing.

On a more serious note, she said playing in the U.S. was important for other reasons.

“You want to be home. You want to be able to play in front of your family, and friends,” Williams said. “You want to after a game be able to decompress in the area that you are comfortable in.”

Chelsea Gray, who has played many years overseas in a variety of countries sees some benefit to still playing abroad.

“There’s some value in going overseas and playing a different type of basketball and being able to travel,” she said. “There’s different parts of yourself as an athlete and as a person that I really like that I was able to experience overseas for so long.”

Griner spent the first few months after her WNBA season with the Phoenix Mercury ended hanging with infant son Bash and wife Cherelle.

Now she's stepping out of her comfort zone, playing in the new league.

“It’s going to challenge me to play a little bit differently. I’ve been trying to evolve my game anyway, not just playing on the low post always," Griner said. “Stretching out, playing on the wing a little bit. I’m looking forward to showcasing that and being challenged as well. And then I’ll be in the best shape ever coming back” to Phoenix.