Brittney Griner Rejects Retirement Talk After Strong Sun Preseason Game

Brittney Griner wants everyone to go ahead and relax with the retirement talk.

The 35-year-old shut that down quickly after the Connecticut Sun’s preseason finale. "A lot of people counting me out, want to call me old, want to set me to retire and s--t," Griner told ION Television. "But I'm not. I got a lot to go, and this team is bringing a lot out of me."

The Sun fell to the New York Liberty, 79-67, on Sunday. Griner finished with 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting and four rebounds in 21 minutes.

Her post-playing career plans influenced her decision to sign with Connecticut. "I want to give back to the game," she said. "I do want to get into coaching, you know, and all these little things were just kind of like calling out to me, and I feel like I can come out here, focus on basketball, show what I need to do."

Griner has taken on a mentorship role with the young Sun roster. That includes being more vocal on the floor. "I was used to just talking on the side with players and not demanding the floor and speaking," she said. "But I’m doing it, and I’m loving it, and I’m just embracing it now."

She joins the Sun after one season with the Atlanta Dream and 11 seasons with the Phoenix Mercury.

A three-time Olympic gold medalist and WNBA champion, Griner holds the record as the greatest shot-blocker in women's basketball history. At 6-foot-9, she earned two WNBA Defensive Player of the Year awards, two scoring titles and 10 All-Star selections.

Her career hit a turning point in February 2022 when Russian authorities detained her for nearly 10 months on charges of possessing less than a gram of prescribed medical cannabis oil. She received a nine-year sentence in a penal colony and missed the entire 2022 WNBA season.

Griner returns Friday when the Sun open their 2026 season against the Liberty.