The Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA played their entire season without their star Brittney Griner. The towering center was arrested in Russia for possession of illegal drugs and was then sentenced to nine years in a Russian penitentiary. Many celebrities and fans have shown their outrage against the sentencing. Many felt that it was harsh. And it was harder for her teammates to continue playing despite her unfortunate situation on foreign soil. The WNBA season recently concluded as the Las Vegas Aces won the title.

Kia Nurse, the point guard of the Mercury, opened up about playing after Griner’s sentencing. “It was really hard to play that game. I don’t know how my teammates did it. It was really hard to play an entire season without her,” Nurse said.

The Canadian had a successful college career with the University of Connecticut winning two straight NCAA titles in 2015 and 2016. The New York Liberty drafted Nurse as the tenth overall pick in the 2018 WNBA draft. In her sophomore year, she became an All-Star and then followed up in the next year as well.

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After three years for the Liberty, Nurse joined the Mercury in 2021. After a decent outing in her first year, she missed the whole of last season due to an ACL tear.

A season without Brittney Griner

Kia Nurse also had a torrid time dealing with her ACL injury. She fought back tears while talking about the tough season on many fronts.

“We went through hell on earth this year as a team,” Nurse said. “And not being able to be out there with them was one of the hardest things and that’s where my patience got very testy.”?

She and her teammates showed great support to Brittney Griner throughout last season. The two-time All-Star admitted that it was disheartening to not see Griner back home. She is part of the Canadian women’s team for the FIBA World Cup in Australia. And she is hopeful that she gets more playing time.

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Despite support from WNBA players, NBA superstars, celebrities, and fans, little has changed. Many have openly voiced their disappointment with the efforts of the U.S. government to bring her back. The government still classified her as “wrongfully detained” and is working to bring her back home.

Recently, President Joe Biden met Cherelle, wife of Griner, and reassured her about the efforts of the government in bringing her back to the country.