brittney griner missing 2 games mental health phoenix mercury wnba

"To focus on her mental health," the Phoenix Mercury stated Saturday that Brittney Griner will skip an upcoming road trip.

The Mercury stated it is still negotiating "a timeline for her return" to the court, but the WNBA star will miss at least two games

Mercury center Brittney Griner will not join the team on its two-game road trip to Chicago and Indiana (July 30-August 1) to focus on her mental health.

"The Mercury fully support Brittney and we will continue to work together on a timeline for her return," the team tweeted Saturday afternoon. 

Mercury center Brittney Griner will skip the team's July 30-August 1 road trip to Chicago and Indiana to work on her mental health.

After being freed from Russia, Olympic gold medalist and WNBA all-star Griner returned to the league earlier this year.

The athlete was released last December in a high-profile prisoner swap for a US-incarcerated arms dealer after nearly 10 months in Russian jails

In the months after returning home, Griner re-signed with the Phoenix Mercury, where she had played for years.

In May, she played her first game for the Mercury against the Los Angeles Sparks. Griner returned to the All-Star game a month later.

"It meant everything to me," Griner told the fans after the All-Star game, CNN reported. "I didn't think I'd be here today, honestly, but everybody sending notes

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