UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Sitting alongside Connecticut Sun general manager Morgan Tuck and head coach Rachid Meziane, Brittney Griner was all smiles as she sat before the media for the first time since joining the team in free agency.
As the franchise gears up for their final season in Connecticut before relocating to Houston in 2027, the focus this year is on their ‘Sunset Season.’ The Sun will both honor the past 23 seasons and remain in the present as they look to compete and improve from their 11-33 record last season.
What Tuck and Meziane were focused on during free agency was establishing a veteran presence, and with Griner they get that and more: a WNBA champion, 10-time All-Star and a proven legend of the game.
“One thing that we focused on was we wanted really, really good vets to be able to come to our team, not just because of what they bring off the floor for our younger players, but also what they can do on the floor,” Tuck told the media Friday morning. “To have someone like BG, who is a legend right at all parts of our game, all over the world. She’s going to be a Hall of Famer, but also the impact that she has off the court, I think, is really special.”
Griner’s arrival in Connecticut is a full circle moment. Her career began when she was selected as the No. 1 pick by the Phoenix Mercury in the 2013 WNBA draft, which was held at the ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Conn., just over an hour away from Mohegan Sun Arena.
“It started here for me, and it’s kind of cool to be back just reminiscing about all those different things. Draft night, I just remember being so nervous, like, ‘Oh my God.’ I was so nervous, I couldn’t talk. It was different — I wish I wouldn’t have put that nail polish on, too. That was a little different, [but] I found myself so,” Griner joked when The IX Basketball asked her about what she remembers from that night years ago.
“Basketball is super rich here,” Griner continued. “There’s so many basketball fans. They know the game, they love the game, they know their players. And I just remember feeling that then, and throughout my career and playing here as well. So, now I’m ready to be a part of it.”
A new beginning
Throughout her 11 year-long career in Phoenix, Griner had established herself as not only one of the most dominant bigs in the WNBA, but a future Hall of Famer and a winner. As a rookie she averaged 12.6 points per game, 6.3 rebounds and led the league in blocks with 3 per game. She was also named both an All-Star in her first year, as well as WNBA All-First Team.
By her second season, Griner was undeniably the best defensive specialist in the W, improving her rebounding to 8 per game and her blocks to 3.8 per game while also setting a single-season record of 129 blocks that season. She was named Defensive Player of the Year — an award she’d earn the following year as well — and was also crowned a champion, winning the 2014 WNBA title alongside the great Diana Taurasi.
As the accolades and records continued, the invisible string pulling her to Connecticut was always there. It’s those memories that were a factor in her decision to sign with the team in free agency after a year in Atlanta.
“Actually, there’s a young girl that used to be a ball kid out here and I’ve watched her kind of grow up through my career,” Griner told the media. “It’s just moments like that that are sweet. You remember it, and when you’re making a decision about where to go, where to be, the community to be in — all those go into it, and it just [made] it easier for me.”
Then there’s her relationship with Tuck. They competed against each other once in college, back when Griner was at Baylor and Tuck was just a freshman at UConn during the 2012-13 season (the Bears delivered the Huskies their only non-conference loss, in which Griner nearly had a double-double of 25 points and nine rebounds to go along with 3 blocks). They also competed in the WNBA, where Tuck suited up for the Sun for four-years before playing a single season in Seattle. It’s that player-to-GM connection that stood out to Griner.
“[She is] somebody that’s went through the fire, has done it, lived it, knows our experiences. Having a GM here that was a player first, that was also something that was big for me, too. I feel so comfortable going and talking to Morgan about anything. I feel like I can bring her anything. She understands where I’m coming from, what it’s like for us, road trips, games, housing. I mean, the list goes on, and I think she’s doing an amazing job. And we need more players going into those roles afterwards as well,” Griner said.
“I just remember how many times she’s beat me,” Tuck joked afterwards.
“See, we’re not gonna — it’s about who we’re gonna go beat now!” Griner said to her.
‘The right headspace’
For Griner, being in Connecticut now allows for her to have a fresh start after her lone-season in Atlanta, where she averaged a career-low of 9.8 points per game and 5.2 rebounds. The move down south marked the very first time in her career playing on a new team, and with it came some adjustments mentally.
“That transition from Phoenix to Atlanta for me, I’ll be honest, it was rough for me a little bit. The mental side of it, it was different. I’d been somewhere basically my whole career … It was an adjustment. There was some growing I had to do as well on my part, I’m going to be honest with you. But I feel really good about this. I’m in the right headspace. I feel like I went into it, I knew what I wanted, I knew what I was looking for. And you don’t know what you don’t know until you know,” Griner said with a laugh. “And I know exactly what I want, and this was the right move.”
With a fresh perspective going into her 13th year, Griner did answer the question of retirement and how long she plans on continuing to play in the WNBA. Her answer proved that, at this point in time, she has every intention of competing at a high level again.
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“The game is changing, you hear that a lot, but it’s still jump shots, threes and at the rim. So unless it’s something different — we got to jump off walls and do some backflips — I plan on playing definitely longer. I just want to be able to produce … When I’m not able to give on the court, mentorship, or whatever it is, then we’ll have that talk. But as of right now, I’m not thinking about retirement.”
While the focus is on her playing in Connecticut, she also addressed the Sun’s inevitable move to Houston and, as a Houston-native, her interest in suiting up for the same franchise that inspired her when she first started playing basketball in ninth grade.
“I do remember going to a Houston Comets game with my dad. It was my first experience with the WNBA, and I remember sitting there, I’m like, ‘It’s kind of cool, this is dope … I still was thinking I was going to be the next Tony Hawk at the time, that was before the growth spurt, too, so different views … And then once I learned the history, learned about the players, what they’ve done there, the championships, the level of what they play it at, I knew that was something that I would love to be a part of if there was ever a chance.
Like I said, I’m just definitely hoping that’s still the case afterwards and would love to be a part of that.”
Veteran presence
Griner will now join a Sun roster that’s equipped with plenty of youth and, last season, turned the second half of the season around with their gritty style of play, especially on the defensive end of the floor. Griner’s mentorship will also be pivotal in mentoring second-year standouts like Leila Lacan, who led all rookies in steals with 2.2 per game and ranked second in the league, as well as Saniya Rivers, a shot-blocking savant who is the only rookie in the league to reach the 100-stock mark of a combined steals and blocks. And then there’s Aneesah Morrow, an elite rebounder who impressed even Griner last season when guarding her, despite being eight inches shorter than her.
“I remember one time, Morrow was on me and she didn’t back down, like she came right at me. And I respect that. I love players that don’t back down from a challenge, don’t back down from a player, no matter their stature, size, or where they are in their career. That’s hard to teach somebody. They already have that and I’m just looking forward to talking to them more about it and share my experiences, and then being there with them. They’ll bring out the best in me, and I hope I can bring out the best in them.”
With her experience and fresh perspective, Griner is excited for what’s ahead — and it’s that outlook that’ll be needed amidst what is sure to be an emotional season as the Sun franchise rides off into the sunset.
“I still feel like I’m young,” Griner said. “I still feel like I got youth in these legs. So I’m looking to get out run and do all that and play at a, you know, a fast pace with the younger group. I hate talking about myself like this, but I feel like I bring a positive attitude to things. I try to look at things from a different aspect. We all know I’ve been through trials and tribulations, so when things get rough, I think I know how to pull through and find the silver lining.”
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