WNBA to Punish Brittney Griner Despite Injury Absence

David Butler II-Imagn Images via Reuters Connect

WNBA to Punish Brittney Griner Despite Injury Absence

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Angelo Guinhawa | Last updated Sep 20, 2026 7:56 PM ET

Brittney Griner didn’t play once again in the Connecticut Sun’s game against the Minnesota Lynx on Sunday. Still, she got in trouble with officials.

The Sun lost to the Lynx 101-89, with Connecticut unable to find a way to slow down Minnesota’s balanced offense. All Lynx starters scored in double figures, led by Napheesa Collier (23 points) and Olivia Miles (21 points).

Diamond Miller, Leila Lacan and Gianna Kneepkens scored 15 points apiece for the Sun. Unfortunately, their 17 turnovers really hurt them, with the Lynx scoring 25 points off those mistakes.

Griner, for her part, didn’t play in the game. She was ruled out due to a left knee injury, marking the 10th straight game she has missed with the Sun.

Connecticut Sun center Brittney Griner (42) looks on against the Toronto Tempo.Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images

Despite her absence, however, Griner still got a technical foul during the game. With 7:44 remaining in the third quarter, the veteran center appeared to say something to a referee from the bench, prompting the official to assess her a tech.

It was unknown what was said during the moment, but the call was Griner’s third technical foul of the season.

Under the increased penalties stemming from the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, a player’s first three technical fouls each carry a $500 fine, an increase from the $200 fine last season. Meanwhile, the fourth through seventh techs are punishable by a $1,000 fine.

A player also gets a warning letter after committing their fifth tech. The technical foul limit is seven, as a player gets a $1,500 fine and an automatic one-game suspension once they reach eight techs.

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

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