By Michael Haag | Sports Editor
It’s hard to find a word that perfectly epitomizes what the last 17 months have been like for Brittney Griner, but “hectic” might be a good place to start.
After being detained for over eight months in Russia on drug possession charges, Griner settled back into life as a WNBA player. In early June she shared a special moment with the Baylor women’s basketball team. Griner is a 6-foot-9 forward on the Phoenix Mercury, and when her squad played against the Dallas Wings on June 7 in Arlington, her alma mater showed up to welcome her home.
Baylor women’s basketball head coach Nicki Collen and several members of the program took the 97-mile trip north to see Griner, a former Lady Bear from 2009 to 2013. Now that Griner is safely home in the United States, Collen made sure to double down on her plans to get Griner’s No. 42 jersey retired in the soon-to-open Foster Pavilion.
“That’s the goal,” Collen said. “We’re opening a new arena. There’s no doubt that I want to see her jersey in the rafters.”
Griner became the subject of national headlines on Feb. 17, 2022, when she was wrongfully detained by Russian officials. But now having been free for over 250 days, Griner is back on the WNBA court and looks to continue the All-Star level dominance she displayed before her Russian imprisonment.
Hearing Collen’s comments and being surrounded with love from the green and gold family gave Griner the chance to reflect on her time at Baylor and how much she still loves the school.
“I played some of my best basketball there, met some really amazing people there, met my wife there,” Griner said. “I can’t wait to get back. It’s safe to say I’m never going overseas to play ball again, so in the offseason, I’ll be able to actually go and see games — just walk the same halls that I walked before. It was amazing to have [the Baylor team] here. I was really, really, really, really, really happy to see the Baylor team. That meant a lot, having them here.”
Griner played for former Lady Bears head coach Kim Mulkey, who left Baylor in 2021 to take over the Louisiana State University women’s basketball program. Mulkey and Griner had a falling out after Griner finished her time at Baylor. Mulkey said for years the main reason the number wasn’t retired was because Griner didn’t officially graduate.
According to ESPN, Griner confirmed that she has since received her college degree from Baylor. With Collen at the helm and Griner home safely, Baylor’s plans to retire the No. 42 jersey can be put in motion.
A Houston native, Griner piled in 3,283 points, 1,305 rebounds and a NCAA-record 748 blocks in the green and gold, and she helped lead the squad to two Final Fours. In 2012, her junior season, the team went 40-0 en route to a national championship — an NCAA-record undefeated season.
“I love Baylor,” Griner said. “Without that, I don’t get to where I’m at right here.”
Collen took over Baylor women’s hoops in May 2021 and didn’t take long to voice her goal of rekindling the relationship between Griner and the institution. Collen had coached against Griner at the WNBA level, both as a head coach and as an assistant coach.
ESPN reported in December 2021 that Griner said she wanted to visit Baylor “soon” and that she was hoping to reunite with her former collegiate program. Then, only a few months later, she was detained in Russia. The 10-month journey to obtain her freedom ensued.
With both sides now safe and happy, Baylor has the opportunity to bring her back to campus for the first time since her playing days and retire her jersey. The Foster Pavilion is still set to open in January 2024, barring any delays. It will be the new home for the men’s and women’s basketball programs, as they will depart the Ferrell Center.
