Brittney Griner Discusses 'Emotional' 2023 Mercury Home Opener: 'I Got Choked Up'

Brittney Griner's Phoenix Mercury might not have come home victorious in their 2023 home opener, but she came away feeling like a winner.

Griner described her "emotional" return to the Phoenix floor after spending 10 months detained in a Russian prison on drug charges.

"Oh my god. It was emotional in the back, just hearing, seeing some of the clips and then coming out. ... But, no, it was really good. It was really good. Part of the process of healing is just kind of letting it out. So, yeah, nah, I got choked up a little bit," she told reporters after the Mercury's 75-69 loss to the Chicago Sky.

Griner finished with 27 points and 10 rebounds, dominating on the inside despite welling up with emotion during the pregame ceremony. Her parents were also in attendance, watching her play together for the first time since high school.

"That was amazing," she said. "I don't think I've played in front of everybody in one place, honestly, since high school, honestly. So, just having everybody here right now and, like I said before, didn't know when that was going to happen, if it would happen, depending on how long it was, it could have been a lot different."

Griner had not played at Phoenix's home arena since the 2021 season after she was forced to miss the entire 2022 WNBA campaign while detained in Russia. She was released as part of a prisoner swap in December.

The 32-year-old is one of the greatest WNBA centers in history, making eight All-Star appearances and earning six All-WNBA selections over the course of her career.