When the Mercury slumped to a 104-85 loss to the Sky on Sunday night, they did so without one of their biggest stars.
Phoenix announced Saturday that center Brittney Griner would not be traveling with the team on its two-game road trip this week. The first game came against Chicago on Sunday, while the second will be against the Fever in Indiana on Tuesday.
The listed reason for the absence was for Griner to "focus on her mental health." The Mercury's statement went on to say the team is fully supportive of Griner and will work with her to establish a timeline for a potential return.
Mercury center Brittney Griner will not travel with the team on its upcoming two-game road trip to Chicago and Indiana (July 30-August 1) to focus on her mental health. The Mercury fully support Brittney and we will continue to work together on a timeline for her return.
— Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) July 29, 2023
When will Brittney Griner return?
As of July 30, no timeline has been given for Griner's return. Per the Mercury's statement, she will miss at least Tuesday's game against the Fever — and possibly more.
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Griner made her return to the WNBA this season after missing all of 2022 due to legal issues in Russia. She was arrested in February of last year for cannabis possession and spent nearly 10 months in prison before her release in December.
She has since spoken out about the stress of the ordeal.
"You’re going to be faced with adversities throughout your life; this was a pretty big one," she said in April. "You find a way to just grind it out. You just put your head down and keep going, just keep moving forward. You can never stand still, and that was my theme. Just never be still. Never get too focused on the now, just look forward."
Brittney Griner stats
Griner has played in 20 of the Mercury's 24 games this season, averaging 18.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.7 blocks per game. She was named to her ninth career WNBA All-Star Game earlier this season.
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Despite Griner's play, the Mercury have struggled to a 6-18 record. They sit in 10th place in the 12-team league.
| Year | GP | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG | BPG |
| 2013 | 27 | 26.0 | 12.6 | 6.3 | 1.0 | 3.0 |
| 2014 | 34 | 30.7 | 15.6 | 8.0 | 1.6 | 3.8 |
| 2015 | 26 | 30.7 | 15.1 | 8.1 | 1.3 | 4.0 |
| 2016 | 34 | 29.2 | 14.5 | 6.5 | 1.0 | 3.1 |
| 2017 | 26 | 31.5 | 21.9 | 7.6 | 1.9 | 2.5 |
| 2018 | 34 | 32.6 | 20.5 | 7.7 | 2.1 | 2.6 |
| 2019 | 31 | 32.8 | 20.7 | 7.2 | 2.4 | 2.0 |
| 2020 | 12 | 31.8 | 17.7 | 7.5 | 3.0 | 1.8 |
| 2021 | 30 | 32.8 | 20.5 | 9.5 | 2.7 | 1.9 |
| 2023 | 20 | 28.0 | 18.2 | 6.7 | 2.0 | 1.7 |
