When will Brittney Griner return for Mercury? Star center to miss time to 'focus on mental health'

Sam Jarden

When will Brittney Griner return for Mercury? Star center to miss time to 'focus on mental health' image

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.

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.

MORE: Updated 2023 WNBA Finals odds, betting tips as playoffs near 

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. 

MORE: Brittney Griner adds to WNBA record with All-Star Game dunk

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

Sam Jarden

Sam Jarden Photo

Sam Jarden joined Sporting News as an intern in 2020 and returned as a content producer in 2022. In between, he spent a year and a half at Turner Sports, managing the social media accounts for Bleacher Report, NBA on TNT, NBA TV and others. A proud UNC alumnus, he spends his free time following the Tar Heels, Buffalo Bills and Newcastle United FC, and has been known to occasionally hit the links.