Brittney Griner forgoes upcoming road games to focus on mental health, team says

Brittney Griner on Saturday became the latest high-profile athlete to prioritize mental health when her WNBA team announced she won’t travel for a Chicago series.

The Phoenix Mercury said Griner would not be on board when the team embarks on a two-game road trip Sunday through Tuesday against the Chicago Sky.

She’s opting out “to focus on her mental health,” the team tweeted.

“The Mercury fully support Brittney and we will continue to work together on a timeline for her return,” the three-championship team said.

Griner, 32, spent several months in Russian custody after she was detained at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport in February 2022 when security personnel found vape canisters with cannabis oil in her luggage. The star center said she packed the items inadvertently and later she said used the substance to aid in recovery from injuries.

Griner was given a nine-year prison sentence in August and released in December in a prisoner swap negotiated by the Biden administration.

At the time she was detained, Griner was a contract star for UMMC Ekaterinburg in Yekaterinburg, Russia, a base during the WNBA off-season.

Griner is the latest big-name athlete who has cited mental health in the decision to skip events or take a break in the hyper-focused world of pro sports.

In recent years, Black women at the top of their disciplines have helped drive the conversation about mental health as a key and shame-free component of human health.

In 2021, tennis phenom Naomi Osaka withdrew from the French Open after her pleas to skip media interviews in the name of her mental health were rebuffed by tournament officials. She was ranked No. 2 in the world at the time and also later withdrew from Wimbledon.

The U.S. Open subsequently announced that players would have access to licensed mental health providers and quiet rooms.

Also that year, superstar gymnast Simone Biles, 24, withdrew from several events at the Tokyo Olympics, citing mental health as the reason. She has also revealed she has seen a psychologist and taken anxiety medication.