Brittney Griner will be playing for the Phoenix Mercury for a long time. How long is still a mystery.
Griner returned to Phoenix a couple weeks ago for the announcement of a multiyear contract she has now signed with the Mercury. Yet details of the contract have been withheld.
“Brittney Griner is the present and the future of the WNBA and we are fortunate to guarantee she continues her growth here in Phoenix,” said Mercury general manager Jim Pitman, according to AZ Central.
That’s high praise for an out gay athlete, yet still more reassurance to other women that they can come out and be valued in the WNBA.
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While contract details were not disclosed, the highest-paid WNBA players make around $100,000 per year, just a tenth of what they often get paid to play in Russia and China. Previously one of Griner’s former teammates, Diana Taurasi, sat out the 2015 season because she got paid $1.5 million to play in Russia; The league maximum that year was $107,000.
