LOS ANGELES — With Vice President Kamala Harris and 10,396 fans in attendance, Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner was officially welcomed back to the WNBA Friday night at Crypto.com Arena.
Griner was playing in her first official game since returning to the United States after being wrongfully detained for 10 months in Russia last year.
As the WNBA started its 27th season Friday, Griner smiled broadly, acknowledging the fans who gave her a standing ovation, the Sparks and her Mercury teammates, as she made her much-anticipated return in Phoenix's 94-71 loss to Los Angeles.
She finished with 18 points, six rebounds and four blocked shots in 25 minutes. Harris met with both teams in their locker rooms before the game. «Thank you for all that you did in supporting Brittney,» the vice president told the Mercury. «I know that was rough and so difficult.» Harris also talked about how «team is family» and how important it was that they kept «her story alive» while she was in Russia.