Brittney Griner is ready to begin a new chapter during the 2026 WNBA season.
The nine-time All-Star joins the Connecticut Sun for her 13th season. Griner will look to bounce back from a quiet season with the Atlanta Dream after over a decade with the Phoenix Mercury.
As Griner prepares for the new season, the 35-year-old is looking forward to assuming leadership responsibilities with her new club.
"The biggest adjustment for me is stepping into that veteran role, just being so vocal," Griner said in a video shared by the WNBA. "I was used to just talking on the side with players and not demanding the floor and speaking. But I'm doing it, and I'm loving it, and I'm just embracing it now."
Griner has chip on her shoulder
Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images
Griner and the Sun both have something to prove this season.
The two-time Defensive Player of the Year made back-to-back All-Star appearances after getting released from Russian detainment. Yet Griner settled for career-low averages in points (9.8), rebounds (5.2), and blocks (1.4) in 2025.
Griner signed a one-year deal with the Sun, who snapped an eight-year playoff streak by going 11-33 last season. The former No. 1 pick brings experience to a young roster featuring recent first-round picks Diamond Miller and Aaliyah Edwards.
However, Griner also isn't content to merely play the sage veteran. The center showed she has more left in the tank when scoring 16 points in Sunday's preseason loss to the New York Liberty.
Griner declared during a passionate on-court interview that she's intent on silencing critics who think her career has run its course.
"I got a chip on my shoulder," Griner said. "A lot of people counting me out, want to call me old, want to say I need to retire, but I’m not. I got a lot to go, and this team is bringing a lot out of me."
The Sun open the regular season on the road against the Liberty this Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET.
