Brittney Griner Discusses 3-Game Absence from Mercury to Focus on Mental Health

Brittney Griner expressed her gratitude toward the Phoenix Mercury organization and said she hopes more players continue being open about their well-being after the All-Star took a three-game hiatus to focus on her mental health.

"You see [athletes] really take a moment for themselves," Griner told reporters. "The more people do that and make it normal, it's OK. Before, no one dared even say it. You were looked upon as weak or not wanting to play or compete, which is completely the opposite mindset. ... Just the evolution of 'It's OK to take some time.' To speak out about it. There's a lot more resources now as well."

Griner finished with 22 points, six rebounds and four assists in Saturday's 97-91 loss to the Seattle Storm. It was her first game since July 25 as she stepped away from the team for nearly two weeks for undisclosed mental health reasons.

Griner, who spent nearly 10 months in a Russian prison after pleading guilty on drug charges last year, said her break was not planned.

"You can't plan for when you might need some time," Griner said. "I just want to shout out the Phoenix Mercury organization. From the jump, they were there for me, making sure I was good, letting me know that at any moment if I needed some time off, I could do that."

A nine-time WNBA All-Star, Griner is averaging 18.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game this season. While her numbers are slightly down from her peak, Griner is matching her career best shooting 57.8 percent from the floor for a Mercury team that sits at a disappointing 7-20.

Griner and the Mercury will look to turn around their season Tuesday night when they host the Washington Mystics.