Brittney Griner exits Mercury loss to Storm early with hip injury

Brittney Griner exited the Phoenix Mercury's home game against the Seattle Storm in the first half Tuesday due to a hip injury. She went to the locker room and then returned to the bench in the second half but did not play again.

Head coach Vanessa Nygaard said she wasn't sure how Griner hurt her hip and that she had "to wait to get the evaluation on" what exactly happened.

Griner played nine minutes and finished 1 of 5 shooting for two points, two rebounds and a block in the 83-69 loss. Sophie Cunningham led the Mercury with 21 points and Diana Taurasi was held scoreless for only the fifth time in her 19-season career. Sami Whitcomb led the Storm with 18 points off the bench. Rookie Jordan Horston added 13 points and 14 rebounds for her first career double-double.

According to ENFP Hoops, it was Griner's 282nd career game with a block, which ties her with Hall of Famer Tamika Catchings for ninth most in WNBA history.

Griner missed the 2022 season after being detained in Russia for nearly 10 months after being found guilty of carrying hash oil in her luggage. She was freed from captivity in December and is now at the center of the conversation about why teams should travel by charter planes. She was harassed at an airport in Dallas on Saturday as the team was traveling in between games against the Dallas Wings and Indiana Fever.

Nygaard said the team made "adjustments" to its travel procedures "to prioritize the safety of our players."

Griner, a seven-time All-Star, is averaging 20.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game in her 10th WNBA season.