After suffering through 10 months of unfair detention in Russia, former WNBA champion Brittney Griner made an incredible homecoming to the United States last year. She captures the attention of the basketball world on her harrowing journey. Her detention shocked the basketball world, leading to significant political repercussions and widespread protests. The athlete’s spectacular comeback to the court and the WNBA, however, was a widely celebrated event.

Soon after she came home, she made her return to WNBA. However, she returned to playing too soon. She recently announced that she will be stepping back from the game for a while. And an NBA analyst worth $24 million recently backed up her decision to do so.

An NBA analyst backs up Brittney Griner’s decision

After an incredible comeback, WNBA star Brittney Griner has bravely decided to skip the Phoenix Mercury’s two-game road trip to Chicago and Indiana. Griner made the decision, citing concerns about her mental health. This decision received overwhelming support from both her team and the WNBA community.

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The 9x WNBA All-Star had an incredibly challenging time during Griner’s imprisonment in Russia ten months ago on suspicion of having cannabis oil in her luggage. They returned her to the United States through a prisoner swap after the incident sparked a significant worldwide political response. However, shortly following her return to US soil, Griner immediately expressed her desire to resume her beloved sport.

She signed a $165,100 one-year contract to rejoin the Phoenix Mercury and showed she hadn’t lost her touch. Griner’s outstanding performance earned her another All-Star selection; she averaged an amazing 18.2 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.

However, as her decision to step back shows, it might have all been too sudden. And NBA analyst, Stephen A. Smith, is all in support of the 32- year-old.

Stephen A. Smith offers his support to Griner

During a recent episode of his show, Smith talked about Griner’s decision to step back. He found it to be a valid action, considering all that Griner’s been through.

He said, “She was a political tool that Vladimir Putin and the Russian government used at that time because obviously, the United States has been assisting Ukraine in terms of sending them weapons and things of that nature. And obviously Russia wanted to be hardcore about that and so they imprisoned her.”

He continued, “Nevertheless, she’s going through a lot. It is very, very understandable. And because of that, she needs a mental break”

With this decision, Griner gets to step back and work on her mental health. Hopefully, she gets better.

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