PHOENIX โ Before being selected by the Phoenix Mercury as the No. 1 pick in the 2013 WNBA Draft, Brittney Griner put together one of the greatest college basketball careers ever at Baylor University, and next month, her number 42 will be retired, the university announced Monday.
Griner's number will be raised to the rafters at the Foster Pavilion in Waco, Texas, on Feb. 18, during a pregame ceremony before the Bears play Texas Tech. The game will be at 2 p.m. Arizona time and will be broadcast on ESPN2.
"I'm honored to return home to Baylor and celebrate where so much of my journey started," Griner said. "I'm grateful to Coach Nicki (Collen) and the entire Baylor community and looking forward to the opportunity to be back on campus, spend time with the team and have my family beside me to share in this incredible moment. Sic 'Em Bears."
Griner, who grew up in Texas, won the 2012 national championship with the Bears. In her four years in Waco, she scored 3,283 points, grabbed 1,305 rebounds and blocked 748 shots. She is a three-time All-American and still holds a Big XII record after being named the Player of the Week 21 times.
Griner also still holds Big XII records for points scored, field goals made (1,247), free throws made (787), free throws attempted (1,054) and blocks. She also still holds the NCAA record for blocks in a season (223) and career. Griner was the first woman to score a triple-double at Baylor and is the only player in NCAA women's basketball history to record more than 2,000 points and 500 blocks in a career.
Griner led the Bears to a 135-15 record during her four seasons, including a 40-0 record in their championship 2012 season. Griner also led Baylor to two Final Fours and six Big XII Conference championships (regular season & tournament).
"We are excited to welcome Brittney back to Baylor and share this special day with her," Baylor Vice President and Director of Athletics Mack Rhoades said. "There's no doubt she is one of the most decorated student-athletes in Baylor athletics history and we're thrilled the timing has worked out for all of us to celebrate and honor her. She always has been, and always will be, a significant member of the Baylor Family."
Griner was a two-time consensus National Player of the Year, four-time All-Big XII First Team and All-Defensive Team selection, 2010 Big XII Freshman of the Year, and four-time Big XII Defensive Player of the Year.
"We're excited to have Brittney back on campus and honor her with the retirement of her jersey," Baylor Head Women's Basketball Coach Nicki Collen said. "I have been saying this since I arrived at Baylor that she deserves to have her jersey retired and I wanted to make sure that happened when the timing was right. With the opening of Foster Pavilion, and the WNBA offseason fitting into our season, this seemed like the right time to honor Brittney and welcome her back home. She is one of the best basketball players in Baylor's history and we're thrilled that the time has come to celebrate Brittney and all of her accomplishments."
Griner has spent all 10 of her WNBA seasons with the Mercury, where she has won one WNBA Championship (2014) and been selected to six WNBA All-Star Games. Griner has also won two Olympic Gold Medals with Team USA.
She will be the seventh women's basketball player to have her number retired by Baylor.
Griner and the Mercury will begin the 2024 season on May 14 on the road against the two-time reigning WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces.
Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to five major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBAโs Phoenix Mercury, MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks and NHL's Arizona Coyotes.
The Cardinals have made State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football Leagueโs Arizona Rattlers play at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale. The Coyotes play at Mullett Arena on ASU's Tempe campus.
Phoenix also has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC, who play at Phoenix Rising FC Stadium in Phoenix.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events on a yearly basis, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl; the PGA Tourโs highest-attended event, the WM Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall, including Championship Weekend in November; and Cactus League Spring Training for 15 Major League Baseball franchises.
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