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Brittney Griner wants everyone to go ahead and relax with the retirement talk.
The 35-year-old shut that down pretty quickly after the Connecticut Sun’s preseason finale, making it crystal clear she’s not going anywhere anytime soon.
"A lot of people counting me out, want to call me old, want to set me to retire and s--t," Griner told ION Television. "But I'm not. I got a lot to go, and this team is bringing a lot out of me."
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Brittney Griner of the Connecticut Suns talks with teammates during a break in play against the Toronto Tempo at Coca-Cola Coliseum in Toronto on April 29, 2026. (Bailey McLean/Getty Images)
The Sun fell to the New York Liberty, 79-67, on Sunday. Still, Griner was a bright spot for Connecticut, finishing with 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting while adding four rebounds in just 21 minutes.
So maybe she isn’t ready for a farewell tour yet. But whenever that day does come, Griner already has a plan for what’s next. In fact, her post-playing career aspirations played a major role in her decision to sign with Connecticut in the first place.
"I want to give back to the game," she said. "I do want to get into coaching, you know, and all these little things were just kind of like calling out to me, and I feel like I can come out here, focus on basketball, show what I need to do."
Connecticut Sun center Brittney Griner boxes out Toronto Tempo center Nyara Sabally during the second half at Coca-Cola Coliseum in Toronto on April 29, 2026. (Kevin Sousa/Imagn Images)
That opportunity is already taking shape with a young Sun roster, where Griner has embraced more of a mentorship role in a locker room loaded with players still finding their footing in the league. And that starts with being more vocal on the floor.
"I was used to just talking on the side with players and not demanding the floor and speaking," Griner said. "But I’m doing it, and I’m loving it, and I’m just embracing it now."
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Griner joins the Sun after one season with the Atlanta Dream and 11 seasons with the Phoenix Mercury.
A three-time Olympic gold medalist and a WNBA champion, Griner is widely considered the greatest shot-blocker to ever play the women’s game. Of course, being 6-foot-9 doesn’t hurt. Her professional resume includes two WNBA Defensive Player of the Year awards, two scoring titles and 10 All-Star selections.
Brittney Griner of the USA Basketball Women's National Team poses for a portrait during training camp in Phoenix, Ariz., on July 17, 2024, as part of the WNBA All-Star events. (Barry Gossage/NBAE)
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Her career, of course, reached a turning point in February 2022 when she was detained in Russia for nearly 10 months on charges of possessing less than a gram of prescribed medical cannabis oil. The ordeal resulted in a nine-year sentence in a penal colony and caused her to miss the entire 2022 WNBA season.
But Griner claims she’s still got plenty left in the tank. And she’ll have a chance to prove it on Friday when the Sun open their 2026 season against the Liberty.
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