Brittney Griner Reacts to Death of Former WNBA Teammate at 30

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Paolo Songco | Last updated Sep 12, 2025 10:08 AM ET

Brittney Griner and the Atlanta Dream received confirmation on Thursday night that their opponents in the first round of the WNBA playoffs will be the Indiana Fever.

The Las Vegas Aces clinched the No. 2 seed with a win against the Los Angeles Sparks, which resulted in the Dream falling to No. 3. Atlanta will host the No. 6 seed Fever, with Game 1 scheduled for Sunday at Gateway Center Arena.

Griner, however, along with the rest of the WNBA, received some tragic news late on Thursday after it was announced that former Mercury player Tiana Mangakahia passed away.

Mangakahia’s family used her Instagram account to announce her death at the age of 30.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Tiana Mangakahia (@tiana_mangakahia)

According to a report by ESPN , Mangakahia, a native of Australia, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2019, while she was still in college with the Syracuse Orange. She fought the dreaded disease and was able to resume her basketball career. The cancer returned in 2023, and she ultimately succumbed to the disease two years later.

Griner, who crossed paths with Mangakahia after the latter signed a training camp contract with the Phoenix Mercury in 2021, caught wind of the news. The 10-time All-Star took to Instagram to share her reaction to her former teammate’s death.

Brittney Griner reacts to the death of former Phoenix Mercury teammate Tiana Mangakahia at 30

(via @brittneyyevettegriner on IG) pic.twitter.com/sy1eDlrg3x
— Paolo Songco (@PaoloSongcoNBA) September 12, 2025

Griner did not have any words. Instead, she used the dove and the praying hands emojis to express her condolences.

Mangakahia never got the chance to play in the WNBA. The Mercury waived her after less than a month with the team.

She played professionally in her home country of Australia, where, among other things, she won the NBL1 North MVP title in 2022. Despite her brief time with the Mercury, it appears that she was able to touch lives in the WNBA, including that of Griner.

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

More must-reads: