Brittney Griner named WNBA All-Star starter

Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner has been named a 2023 WNBA All-Star Game starter in her first season following a 10-month long detainment in Russia on drug charges.

The WNBA announced Griner as one of the 10 starters after a voting process, in which fans account for 50%. Current WNBA players and a 60-member media panel account for 25% each.

This will be Griner’s ninth All-Star game appearance, including last year when league commissioner Cathy Engelbert named her an honorary All-Star. Griner, 32, is averaging 19.1 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game in nine games this season.

Joining Griner on the court at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas will be: Las Vegas Aces forward A’ja Wilson, New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart, Indiana Fever forward Aliyah Boston, Aces guards Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young, Dallas Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale and forward Satou Sabally, Los Angeles Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike and Seattle Storm guard Jewell Loyd.

The 2023 WNBA All-Star Game will take place on July 15 at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

Brittney Griner’s Phoenix Mercury undergo changes

While Griner has enjoyed a successful season individually, the same cannot be said about the Mercury as a team. Phoenix (2-10) sits last in the WNBA standings, currently riding a five-game losing streak. The Mercury fired head coach Vanessa Nygaard after the 97-74 defeat to the Storm Saturday. Assistant coach Nikki Blue will serve as the team’s interim head coach for the rest of the season, per ESPN.

“We have chosen to make a change at head coach,” Mercury general manager Jim Pitman said in a statement. “We thank Vanessa Nygaard for the way she endured and managed the adversity of the last year-plus. Our organization and our fans have high expectations for this team, and we have not reached those with our performance this year.”

Griner, who returned Saturday from a three-game injury absence, expressed her frustrations after the latest loss to Seattle.

“What’s happening isn’t going to cut it,” Griner said. “It’s the first time I’ve ever had a record like this. It’s really frustrating. I don’t know. I guess tear it down and rebuild it back up… Really don’t get it. It’s not going the way we want it to go. It’s not the Phoenix Mercury basketball we all know.”