Brittney Griner, Sun finding their footing while Mercury has gone cold

Field Level Media|published: Thu 16th July, 23:47 2026

Jul 6, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Connecticut Sun center Brittney Griner (42) jumps for a rebound in front of Minnesota Lynx forward Natasha Howard (1) in the second half at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Brittney Griner will return to Phoenix for only the second time following her 11-year career with the Mercury when the Connecticut Sun visit for consecutive games, beginning with a contest on Friday night.

Connecticut (6-18) will then play Phoenix (8-17) on Sunday in a two-game set between two struggling teams, although the Sun have won four of their last seven games after a 2-15 start to the season.

Phoenix has lost four consecutive games after winning four of five outings.

Following the Mercury's tribute video for Griner last season, when the nine-time All-Star center visited as a member of the Atlanta Dream, she had 17 points and eight rebounds in a 90-79 victory on July 24, 2025.

She signed with Connecticut as a free agent last offseason and leads the Sun with 13.9 points and 1.8 blocked shots per game in 14 contests (all starts).

The 6-foot-9 Griner has missed 10 games because of rib, foot and quad injuries but is coming off scoring 20 points with six assists and four rebounds in Connecticut's 90-87 win at home Tuesday over the Portland Fire.

That performance followed a 29-point, 10-rebound effort in Connecticut's 90-89 win at the Minnesota Lynx on July 6.

"A lot of people are counting me out, want to call me old, want to set me to retire," said Griner, 35. "I got a lot to go, and this team is bringing a lot out of me."

The Sun have a young roster, fueled by rookie point guard Charlisse Leger-Walker, following a major overhaul that included current Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas and the entire Connecticut starting lineup leaving before last season.

Thomas played 11 seasons for the Sun. She went 2-1 against her former team in 2025 while averaging 13.7 points, 11 assists and 9.3 rebounds in those games.

"The biggest thing is staying together; nobody's going to feel sorry for us," Thomas said after Phoenix lost 104-100 at Minnesota on Monday.

Phoenix has struggled in its four-game losing streak, mostly because of a lack of offensive execution. The Mercury are averaging 15.5 turnovers per game in their skid.

They showed signs of promise against Minnesota, making 55.6% of their field-goal attempts (35 of 63) while compiling 28 assists with 14 turnovers.

--Field Level Media

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