Out Basketball Star Brittney Griner Faces Knife Attacker in China

Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner was attacked in China Tuesday while walking from the arena where her Women's Chinese Basketball Association team, the Beijing Great Wall, had been practicing. The 6-foot-8 center was cut with a knife, as the attacker chased her and two of her teammates onto the team bus, according to ESPN.

According to her agent, Lindsay Kagawa Colas, Griner was wearing a winter coat when the man brandished a knife and nicked Griner on her elbow. The cut went through her jacket, but Griner's injuries were minor and will not require stitches. He similarly stabbed one of Griner's teammates, who was also wearing layers that prevented a more serious injury.

ESPN learned that the man stayed on the bus for about five minutes before disembarking on his own accord. He was apprehended by Chinese authorities, and Colas says it appears to have been "a random incident."

Griner posted a video to Instagram of flashing police lights but assured her fans of her well-being, saying "Life can be took [sic] at any moment! Cherish every moment! AGAIN IM OK! Thank you to everyone that has been checking on me!" Her mother, Sandra Griner, responded to the post saying, "Yes most definitely I am very scared. Please be safe. I miss you so much be careful love Mommy."

This is Griner's second year playing in China during the WNBA off-season. The WNBA's leading blocker, Griner proposed to her girlfriend, fellow WNBA player Glory Johnson, this past summer.