Brittney Griner is back in Phoenix this weekend, and it is happening for only the second time since her 11-year Mercury career ended. The Connecticut Sun visit the Phoenix Mercury on Friday night to open a two-game set that will send Griner into the building she once called home and into a game her new team needs badly.
The return carries more weight because Griner has found her form again after a stop-and-start stretch of injuries. She missed 10 games because of rib, foot and quad problems, then scored 20 points with six assists and four rebounds in Connecticut’s 90-87 win over the Portland Fire on Tuesday. She leads the Sun with 13.9 points and 1.8 blocked shots per game in 14 starts, and she had 29 points and 10 rebounds in a 90-89 win over the Minnesota Lynx on July 6. For a team that opened 2-15 before winning four of its last seven games, that production has been central to the push back toward respectability.
Griner’s last trip to Phoenix as an opponent already showed what the night can feel like. She had 17 points and eight rebounds in a 90-79 victory on July 24, 2025, after the Mercury played a tribute video for her during her first return last season while she was with the Atlanta Dream. She signed with Connecticut as a free agent last offseason, giving the Sun a veteran anchor after a major overhaul that left the roster young and still learning how to win together. Alyssa Thomas, who played 11 seasons for the Sun, has also already shown how former stars can still tilt these matchups; she went 2-1 against her former team in 2025 while averaging 13.7 points, 11 assists and 9.3 rebounds in those games.
The matchup also lands at a sharp moment for Phoenix. The Mercury have lost four consecutive games after winning four of five outings, and their latest loss came Monday, when they shot 55.6% from the field, made 35 of 63 shots, and finished with 28 assists against 14 turnovers in a 104-100 defeat at Minnesota. Even with that efficiency, the turnover problem has not gone away; Phoenix is averaging 15.5 turnovers per game during the skid, a number that helps explain why strong shooting has not translated into wins.
That is why this return feels bigger than a routine stop on the schedule. Connecticut comes in trying to keep building after its slow start, Phoenix is searching for a way to stop the slide, and Griner is still the player who gives the series its center of gravity. The Sun and Mercury meet again Sunday, and the next two nights will show whether her latest homecoming becomes a milestone or just another reminder of how far both teams still have to go.
