Brittney Griner Announces Personal News After 12th WNBA Season

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Chris Phelps | Last updated Feb 5, 2026 8:17 PM ET

Brittney Griner and the Atlanta Dream did not finish the 2025 WNBA season as they hoped. After finishing the regular season with a 30-14 record, the Dream earned the No. 3 seed in the playoffs. But their postseason run was short-lived, falling to the Caitlin Clark-less Indiana Fever 2-1 in the opening round.

Still, Griner has proven over her 12-year career that she is one of the best players in WNBA history. The former Phoenix Mercury center has earned 10 All-Star selections and won a WNBA title in 2024. However, in 2025, her first season in Atlanta, Griner took on a reduced role, averaging career lows of 8.9 points and 5.2 rebounds while finishing the season coming off the bench.

Atlanta Dream center Brittney Griner (42).© Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Throughout her time with the Mercury, Griner also played for UMMC Ekaterinburg in Russia from 2015 to 2022. In February 2022, Griner was arrested at an airport near Moscow after Russian customs found vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage. She spent 293 days in a Russian prison before being released in a prisoner swap in December of that year.

Fast forward to February 2026, Griner finally received her belongings back from her apartment in Russia. Among the items the former Baylor center recovered were a hand-drawn photo of herself, 600 Czech koruna, a photo of her and her wife, Cherelle, several pieces of jewelry, and a device she used to cook with while in prison.

"Finally got back my belongings from my apartment in Russia," Griner wrote on Instagram. "Full unboxing video is out on my YouTube channel now. Link in story. "

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With the 2025 WNBA season ending, Griner now sees her one-year, $214,466 deal with the Dream end, becoming an unrestricted free agent. She can officially sign a new contract on March 11, when free agency opens.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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