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Brittney Griner says she will sign with the Atlanta Dream, celebrates career 'rebrand'

Brittney Griner
Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images

PARIS, FRANCE: AUGUST 11: Brittney Griner #15 of Team United States during team warm up before the United States of America v France, Women's Basketball Gold Medal Game at the Bercy Arena during the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games on August 11th, 2024 in Paris, France.

Griner, who has been in free agency for the first time in her career since she was drafted by the Mercury in 2013, said that she will be signing a one-year contract with the Dream.


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Brittney Griner has announced her intent to sign with the Atlanta Dream, marking a new chapter in her career after 11 years with the Phoenix Mercury.

Griner, who has been in free agency for the first time in her career since she was drafted by the Mercury in 2013, said in a video posted to Instagram that she will be signing a one-year contract with the Dream.

“Free agency has been everything I wanted it to be, honestly. I was able to find where I wanted to go,” Griner said in the video. “Honestly, what led me to that decision ultimately was the team, the players. Also my family. I’m thrilled for this chapter.”

WNBA free agents are able to sign contracts beginning Feb. 1. Griner's decision to sign a one-year deal comes ahead of a new collective bargaining agreement in the league expected to increase salaries when it takes effect in 2026.

Griner was arrested in Russia in February 2022, for having a trace amount of cannabis oil in a vape cartridge on her when she traveled to Moscow to play with a local team during the WNBA's off-season. She was tried on drug charges, convicted, and sentenced to nine years in prison. Griner was freed from a labor camp on December 8, 2022, after intense negotiations by the Biden administration.

Griner, who has said she won’t play overseas again unless it’s in the Olympics, was part of the U.S. women's basketball team that won the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She and her wife, Cherelle, welcomed a son in July.

“It was a hard decision since you’re leaving what you know. What I’ve known for my whole career,” Griner continued. “There’s an exciting factor of like, OK, this is a rebrand now. I get to show them something different.”

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