Can Brittney Griner's return to action revitalize the WNBA?

Brittney Griner's return to the WNBA will certainly get a lot of media attention. The Phoenix Mercury superstar has gone through a lot over the past 12 months and is looking forward to playing professional basketball again.

Griner missed the 2022 WNBA season due to her detention in Russia. Fortunately, the basketball player was released in December 2022 and returned home safely. She intends to play next season, which is fantastic news for the team.

While Griner's return will be big, one has to wonder if it can revitalize the WNBA. The league has a lot of problems and it will be interesting to see if some of them can be fixed with the return of one of the league's biggest stars.

Brittney Griner's return might improve the WNBA

Brittney Griner's return to action will positively impact the Phoenix Mercury, who will finally get their best player back. While the superstar center will most likely be rusty after not playing basketball for a long time, she will still make a big impact.

The return will also positively impact the WNBA as a lot of basketball fans will be interested in watching the game. Due to this, we expect this to be one of the most watched games of the 2023 season.

Brittney Griner's return will positively impact the WNBA.

While Brittney Griner's return will most likely impact the professional basketball league in the short term, it will be interesting to see if it can have a long-lasting impact on the WNBA.

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Blaming Griner's nine-year prison sentence in Russia on the WNBA doesn't seem fair. The truth, however, is that the Phoenix Mercury player wouldn't have gone to Russia in the first place if her WNBA salary was decent.

Griner's return for the 2023 WNBA season will get a lot of attention.

The highest-paid WNBA player is Arike Ogunbowale, who will receive $234,936 for her services next season. In comparison, the minimum NBA salary is at least four times bigger. Steph Curry, the highest-paid NBA player, makes around 200 times more money than Arike Ogunbowale.

Unfortunately, for WNBA players, it is very unlikely that Brittney Griner's return will have a long-term positive impact on the league. The WNBA is not profitable and loses approximately $10 million a year, which is why it's almost impossible for players to receive bigger paychecks.

When does 2023 WNBA season start?

The 2023 WNBA season will begin on Friday, May 19. It will feature 40 games per team, which is the all-time record for the professional basketball league.

The regular season will conclude on Sept. 10 and the playoffs will begin shortly after the NBA season starts.

The Phoenix Mercury will open their season on May 19.

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The Phoenix Mercury will play on the first day of the new season. They will travel to Los Angeles for a matchup against the Sparks at 10:00 PM Eastern Time.