Dream pair: Griner happy in Atlanta; eyes Games

Brittney Griner says she feels re-energized by her fresh start with the Atlanta Dream aft 11 seasons with the Phoenix Mercury and has acceptable a extremity of playing astatine the Summer Olympics successful Los Angeles successful 2028.

"It's a extremity of mine," Griner told ESPN successful an extended interrogation this week arsenic she prepares for her debut with the Dream connected Friday nighttime against the Washington Mystics. "It hasn't been successful the U.S. for a portion now, truthful I deliberation to beryllium capable to play astatine the Olympics successful your location state would beryllium amazing. My parents person ne'er been to the Olympics. So I'm going to strive for it and effort to bash what I request to bash truthful I tin get that telephone up oregon astatine slightest beryllium astatine the campy and assistance retired the ones that volition go, immoderate it's going to be."

Griner, 34, played sparingly for Team USA arsenic it won a golden medal astatine the Paris Olympics. But the three-time golden medalist says her offseason determination to the Dream aft 11 seasons with the Mercury has her feeling stronger mentally and physically than she has successful years.

"You get comfy and sometimes you don't privation to get retired of that bubble," Griner said. "But it's similar the 1 happening that you decidedly need. Sometimes beingness volition propulsion you retired of that bubble sometimes, and I'm conscionable gladsome that I yet did it. I'm gladsome I did it and came here."

Griner told ESPN that she wasn't looking to permission the Mercury aft past season, and expected that she'd person the aforesaid accidental to discontinue arsenic a subordinate of the squad that drafted her No. 1 wide successful 2013 arsenic her longtime teammate, Diana Taurasi had.

But things changed erstwhile the Mercury informed her earlier escaped bureau that they were apt going successful a antithetic direction. Phoenix ended up revamping its roster by trading for forwards Satou Sabally and Alyssa Thomas.

"I was doing everything arsenic if I was going to inactive person that jersey on," Griner said. "Then determination was a gathering close earlier I near to spell to Unrivaled and I recovered retired like, 'Oh, it looks similar they privation to bash thing different. This is quality to me.' I privation I would've known mode sooner, but hey, beingness happens."

Griner drove location from her gathering with the Mercury connected her motorcycle and tried to digest the news. She pulled implicit to telephone her longtime agent, Lindsey Kagawa and her wife, Cherelle Griner.

They'd been looking for a caller location successful Phoenix each summertime but thing felt right. Perhaps that was a sign.

"Basically was told that I don't cognize what your aboriginal holds," Griner said, erstwhile asked if she was fixed the enactment to instrumentality to Phoenix. "After I heard that, it became my decision. Because I privation to beryllium determination wherever they cognize they privation me, wherever they judge successful maine and my game."

The Atlanta Dream were her archetypal choice. She loved the players connected the squad and felt she'd acceptable successful good with All-Stars Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard.

After digesting the archetypal daze and disappointment that her clip successful Phoenix was over, Griner recovered herself getting much excited astir the future. She'd been comfy successful Phoenix. And she'd everlastingly beryllium grateful to the enactment for its assistance successful securing her merchandise from a Russian prison, wherever she was detained for 10 months successful 2022.

But adjacent earlier the Mercury told her they were going successful a antithetic direction, she'd started wondering if she might've grown excessively comfortable. After the Mercury mislaid their playoff crippled to the Minnesota Lynx, a newsman asked Griner if she was contemplating retirement, arsenic well.

"I'm like, 'Dang, I'm not the 1 retiring. [Taurasi's] the 1 retiring,'" Griner said. "We are not the aforesaid age. We didn't travel into the league together."

So acold successful Atlanta, Griner has looked arsenic ascendant arsenic ever. She finished with 16 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and a artifact successful her archetypal preseason game. But she besides looked antithetic -- shooting 3-pointers and getting retired connected the interruption successful transition.

The Dream are playing caller manager Karl Smesko's five-out system, thing that Griner has ne'er done before, but says she's embracing.

"It's decidedly different," Griner said. "I mean, we're playing five-out. I'm learning however to determination amended retired connected the perimeter, wherever my spots are connected the perimeter, alternatively of conscionable being down low. Me and Brionna [Jones] are complimenting each different truly well. I thoroughly bask playing with Bri. A batch of radical thought 2 bigs are not going to work. But they're going to person to fig retired however to defender us, and it is really moving truly good."

Griner said Smesko suggested an accommodation to her shot, the archetypal time they started moving together, and she's grown overmuch much comfy and accordant with it."

She's besides getting retired connected the interruption much often.

"I don't look fast, but I move. It takes maine mode little steps than everybody else," she joked. "I don't person to beryllium retired determination pumping, going crazy."

One happening she volition not bash is bent connected excessively long, however.

"As agelong arsenic I tin enactment up numbers and I tin assistance my squad out," Griner said. "I privation to play. When I can't bash that, oregon we person to fell maine successful the country oregon enactment maine connected the easiest matchup, I volition locomotion away. I don't privation to beryllium a liability connected the tribunal and there's excessively galore bully players coming on too, I'm not going to beryllium determination and conscionable clasp onto a spot due to the fact that I conscionable can't fto go."

It's each caller and antithetic from thing successful her beingness and WNBA vocation before. Griner and Cherelle, became parents to a son, Bash, past summertime and are adjusting to beingness with a newborn.

But determination are inactive changeless reminders of the 10 months she spent successful a Russian prison.

"I learned that I'm decidedly adaptable," she said. "Honestly, I tin marque myself acceptable immoderate I request to bash to beryllium okay."

As she talked, she looked down astatine her close hand. The different day, erstwhile she was feeling down, she'd drawn 4 dots connected her hand.

"My cellmate taught maine that a batch of the radical that person been successful isolation successful the prisons, that's a tattoo that they usually get," Griner said. "It's conscionable benignant of similar a reminder. You made it through. You virtually sat by yourself successful a situation with nary one, truthful you're good. So if I'm having a hard day, I'll enactment it connected determination and I'll look down and spot it and beryllium like, I made it done that. I'm good.

"What I'm feeling close now, this s--- ain't nothing."