Phoenix Mercury

The Phoenix Mercury will have two new practice courts dedicated to franchise legend Diana Taurasi ahead of 2024 WNBA All-Star weekend, according to ESPN's Michael Voepel.

The Mercury announced that the practice courts will be part of the team's new $70 million practice facility, with the grand opening set for "next week." The courts will be named after Taurasi and will feature logos inspired by her.

The 42-year-old is in the midst of her 20th season with the organization and recently earned the 11th All-Star nod of her exceptional career. Taurasi is already the WNBA's all-time leading scorer and currently ranks No. 5 on the all-time assists leaderboard.

She's won three championships since she entered the league with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 draft and will be attempting to secure her sixth Olympic gold medal with the United States during the upcoming Paris Games.

Matt Ishbia, the owner of the Mercury and the Phoenix Suns, was excited to recognize Taurasi with the WNBA All-Star Game set to occur in the city.

"It worked out perfectly: getting the WNBA All-Star Game in Phoenix and being able to honor who I consider is the greatest of all time," Ishbia said, per Voepel. "And she's just a great person and great player. Putting her name on the court is something everyone will see in the future to always remember Diana Taurasi played here."

While Taurasi is still continuing her incredible career and building upon her record-breaking accomplishments, she'll remain a staple of the Mercury organization and be honored in the team's facilities long after her playing days are over.

Sunday's WNBA matchup between the Indiana Fever and Phoenix Mercury has plenty of eyes on it.

Richard Deitsch of The Athletic reported that the 88-82 Fever victory had 1.9 million viewers, which is the second most-watched WNBA game on ESPN ever. The most-viewed WNBA game ever on ESPN was the Fever's matchup against the Chicago Sky on June 23.

It's safe to say star power was a factor in the ratings. Caitlin Clark, the No. 1 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, has been a ratings draw since her college days. Diana Taurasi, who plays for the Mercury, is one of the most decorated players in league history.

The rookie's team got the best of the veteran's team in this one. Clark scored 15 points and added 12 assists and nine rebounds. Taurasi had 19 points, three rebounds and three assists.

This was the first of three matchups between the franchises this season, with one coming on July 12 and the other happening on August 16. Indiana is currently 8-12 while Phoenix is 9-9.

The next matchup will surely hope to challenge the rating from the first one, and it will be happening in prime time as it's set to tip-off at 7:30 p.m. ET.

The Phoenix Mercury announced Monday that center Brittney Griner will miss the start of the WNBA season after suffering a toe fracture on her left foot.

She will be reevaluated in the "coming weeks."

The Mercury open the 2024 WNBA season on the road Tuesday against the defending champion Las Vegas Aces (10 p.m. ET).

The 33-year-old Griner missed the entire 2022 season while being unjustly detained in Russia, but played well upon her release and return to the United States in 2023, averaging 17.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game.

It was all the more impressive considering Griner struggled to sleep for a year after her release, including throughout all of last season, as she told ESPN's T.J. Quinn.

"It was hell sleeping last year. I would just be up, mind racing," she said. "Can't go to sleep, or I go to sleep, wake up, and then I'm up all night. Go right into practice, trying to push through physically, being able to see how behind I was because I missed so much, and I thought I was at a place of, like, oh, I'm not an athlete now. This year, I definitely feel [like an athlete]. Like, I'm moving the way I remember I used to move."

Unfortunately, her toe fracture will keep her sidelined to start the season.

As for the Mercury, the team didn't fare so well last season, finishing a league-worst 9-31 while missing the playoffs for the first time since 2012.

Normally, that would have potentially meant the chance to draft Caitlin Clark, but the Mercury owed their pick to the Chicago Sky (and the Indiana Fever won the draft lottery anyway). But the team added Natasha Cloud and Kahleah Copper to the inside-out duo of Griner and Diana Taurasi alongside hiring a new head coach in Nate Tibbetts and general manager in Nick U'Ren.

The 2024 campaign was supposed to be a bounce-back season for the Mercury, and it might be yet. But Griner's injury will tax a frontcourt that was already lacking depth.

WNBA star Brittney Griner continued to fear for her safety while en route to the United States from Russia following her release from prison.

In an interview with women's soccer legend Megan Rapinoe for The Cut, she was "really happy, but I was nervous at the same time" upon learning she was due to return home. She worried this was a "big mindf--k" and that this was all a ruse before she was transferred to another prison.

"After a couple of days, I got a note underneath my door that said, 'Be ready at midnight' or some late, crazy hour," Griner said. "I didn't even go to sleep. I packed up all my stuff. I slept with my shoes on, and then I finally got to process out. I had put on real clothes. That's when I knew."

Griner's sense of unease remained as she set foot on the plane that would fly her to the States.

"We get to that airport, and I get on that plane," she said. "I was worried someone might shoot the plane down. It wouldn't be the first time. I knew I wouldn't feel safe until wheels are on U.S. soil."

The eight-time All-Star recently gave an interview to ABC's Robin Roberts, detailing the conditions of her wrongful imprisonment, which made her feel "less than a human." She said she cut her signature dreadlocks because her hair would freeze and lead her to get sick. Spiders were also nesting above her bed where she was sleeping.

Concerns for Griner's well-being have continued after she safely disembarked on American soil in December 2022. The WNBA relaxed its rules on chartered travel to accommodate the veteran center for security reasons.

WNBA All-Star Brittney Griner said she contemplated suicide during her stay in a Russian prison.

"I wanted to take my life more than once in the first weeks," Griner told ABC's Robin Roberts. "I felt like leaving here so badly."

Griner spent 10 months in a Russian prison after being caught with a cannabis vape pen when she was attempting to travel home after playing professional basketball overseas. She was released in December 2022 as part of a prisoner swap with Russia amid months of high-profile coverage.

Griner said she did not turn to suicide over fear her body would not be returned to her family.

The 33-year-old returned to the WNBA last year after missing the 2022 season while detained. She averaged 17.5 points and 6.3 rebounds, earning All-Star honors for the ninth time.

Griner has not continued her international basketball career since her arrest. However, she is expected to be part of Team USA's women's national team for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner shed light on the conditions of her confinement in Russia after being wrongfully detained at a Moscow airport in February 2022.

Good Morning America shared a portion of Griner's interview with Robin Roberts, which is scheduled to air Wednesday night.

Part of the interview included Roberts narrating footage of Griner's arrest, with Griner providing her recollection of the event. She lamented being "absent-minded" and making the "huge mistake" of leaving two vape cartridges in her luggage.

Upon entering custody, the 33-year-old told Roberts she "felt less than a human" when discovering her new living conditions.

"The mattress had a huge blood stain on it," she said.

Among the other features were a bed that was too small for her 6'9" frame with "thin" sheets and toothpaste that was expired to the point where prisoners used it to kill black mold on the prison walls.

Griner's noticeably shorter hair upon her release was also due to her stay in a different prison. She told Roberts she cut her dreadlocks because spiders were living above her bed and her hair would freeze, making her sick.

Officials from the Biden administration secured Griner's release in December 2022 as part of a prisoner swap involving international arms dealer Viktor Bout.

A few weeks after setting foot on American soil, she advocated for the release of Paul Whelan. Whelan, a former U.S. Marine, received a 16-year prison sentence on espionage charges in 2020.

Griner told Roberts she was disappointed to discover Whelan wasn't joining her on her flight out of Russia.

The eight-time All-Star didn't waste any time returning to a WNBA court, suiting up for the Mercury in 31 games last season. She averaged 17.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.6 blocks.

A free agent this offseason, Griner signed a one-year deal to return to Phoenix.

Phoenix Mercury star Diana Taurasi hit back at "really sensitive" WNBA fans who took issue with her straightforward assessment of the learning curve Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark is likely to face.

"I don't think I said anything that wasn't factually correct," the 10-time All-Star told reporters Sunday. "Like anything, greatness is gonna translate and she's proven that in every level. And I don't see it being any different in the WNBA."

Taurasi was among the personalities interviewed by ESPN's Scott Van Pelt on the heels of Iowa's victory over UConn in the 2024 Final Four. Asked during the segment about the imminent arrival of Clark and other college stars, she said that "reality is coming" for players "look superhuman playing against 18-year-olds."

Taurasi wasn't taking a direct shot at Clark or anybody else. Instead, she was making a broad point about the growing pains any rookie has. This is a league where first-round picks can be cut after just a year or two and in extreme cases not even make the team coming out of training camp.

Despite being pretty inoffensive, Taurasi's comments nonetheless rankled some fans, and the Mercury leaned into the discourse by hyping up Clark's trip to Phoenix in June:

Women's basketball is undoubtedly riding the crest of a wave that Clark helped to generate, and that means a lot of people who haven't followed the WNBA are diving headlong into the league.

Those new fans were apparently surprised to learn Taurasi and her veteran peers aren't going to roll out the red carpet for the 2024 draft class.

Brittney Griner is returning to the Phoenix Mercury for her 11th WNBA season.

The Mercury announced they signed the eight-time All-Star to a new deal on Friday.

Griner didn't play during the 2022 WNBA season after being sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison after being found guilty on charges of drug possession and smuggling. She was detained at a Russian airport in February 2022 while traveling to the country to play for UMMC Ekaterinburg in the Russian Premier League.

Customs officials alleged Griner was carrying vape cartridges with hash oil in her luggage. The cartridges contained less than one gram of hash oil and was legally obtained in the United States.

Lawyers for Griner argued during the trail she was prescribed medical cannabis to manage severe chronic pain.

Griner returned to the United States in December 2022 as part of a prisoner swap. In her first public statement after returning home, she announced her intention to play the 2023 season in the WNBA.

The Mercury signed Griner to a new deal in February 2023. She averaged 17.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game in 31 starts and was named a starter in the WNBA All-Star Game.

Griner, the No. 1 pick in the 2013 draft, has spent her entire WNBA career in Phoenix. She is a seven-time All-Defensive team selection, two-time Defensive Player of the Year winner and led the Mercury to a WNBA title in 2014.

The 2024 WNBA season tips off on May 14. The Mercury will take on the two-time defending champion Las Vegas Aces at Michelob Ultra Arena on opening night.

WNBA star Brittney Griner has reached an agreement with Disney to tell the story of her detainment in a Russian prison for 10 months in 2022.

"The last two years have been the most harrowing, transformative and illuminating period of my life, and I am grateful to be in a place now to share my story with the world," Griner said in a statement. "I'm proud to partner with ESPN and Disney to share this very personal story because of its incredible potential to inspire hope around the world and their proven ability to do just that."

Per ESPN's press release, ESPN Films is making a documentary feature on the ordeal, while ABC Signature is creating a scripted series. Griner will also give her first exclusive interview on her detainment to ABC News' Robin Roberts.

The documentary will include "exclusive footage and rare archival material to tell her story, including the circumstances that led to her playing overseas, her detainment and separation from her wife, the fight to gain her freedom, and her advocacy for the release of other wrongful detainees."

Griner, 33, was arrested at a Moscow airport in February 2022 and charged with drug smuggling due to possession of marijuana. She testified in a Russian court that she had inadvertently packed cannabis oil into her bag while returning to play for her Russian team, UMMC Ekaterinburg, during the WNBA offseason.

She was sentenced to nine years in prison and lost her appeal, leading to her imprisonment in a Mordovia republic penal colony.

Griner was eventually released in a prisoner exchange between the two countries, which freed convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout from U.S. custody.

"Brittney is an exceptional athlete whose hardship and resilience are nothing short of extraordinary," ESPN's president of content, Burke Magnus, said in a statement. "We are thrilled to be working with her to tell the nuances of her story and feel confident that this documentary will captivate audiences everywhere."

USA Basketball is one step closer to deciding which women's basketball players will represent the nation in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

On Thursday, USA Basketball named 16 players to the Women's National Team roster for November training camp.

The roster includes Phoenix Mercury stars Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi, New York Liberty guards Sabrina Ionescu and Betnijah Laney and longtime Atlanta Dream star Angel McCoughtry.

The team is rounded out by Kahleah Copper, Allisha Gray, Rhyne Howard, Azurá Stevens, Ariel Atkins, Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young, Aliyah Boston, Dearica Hamby, Natasha Howard and Arike Ogunbowale.

Seven members of the roster, including Taurasi, Griner and McCoughtry, boast past Olympic experience.

Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve will lead training camp in Atlanta from November 7-9.

The training camp will be bookended by a pair of exhibition games against college basketball teams. These contests will be held against Tennessee on November 5 and Duke on November 12.

Taurasi, Ionescu and Griner are among the players who will be featured on the rosters of both games.

Other participants in both exhibition contests will be Copper, Gray, Howard and Stevens.

Boston, Atkins, Laney and Young will play against Tennessee, while Hamby, Howard, Ogunbowale and Plum will swap in for the contest against Duke.

McCoughtry will not be featured in the exhibition games but will participate in training camp.

The November 5 exhibition game will mark Griner's first time playing for Team USA since she was detained in Russia for most of 2022.

The two contests will also mark the first basketball action for Young and Plum since they celebrated their 2023 WNBA championship win with the Las Vegas Aces.

The next step in USA Basketball's Olympic preparation will be the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament from February 8-11.

As the winner of the 2022 FIBA Women's World Cup, Team USA has already guaranteed its spot in the Paris Olympics alongside host France. Ionescu, Atkins, Copper, Laney and Plum are among the players on the roster of that World Cup winning team who will be returning for training camp.