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After being detained for nearly 10 months in a Russin prison, Brittney Griner is back on American soil. The 32-year-old is poised to make her return to the WNBA this upcoming season. However, before she retakes the court, let’s look at Griner’s net worth and a breakdown of her contracts throughout the years.
As of 2023, Griner reportedly has a net worth of $5 million. Below is a full breakdown of Griner’s wealth, dissecting her professional basketball contracts, endorsement deals, and more.
Griner is one of highest paid WNBA players ever
Griner was selected with the first overall pick by the Phoenix Mercury in the 2013 WNBA draft. Her combination of size, strength, and agility, made her one of the most touted prospects in league history. In her debut, the 6’9 wunderkind dunked the ball twice, tying Candace Parker’s record for career dunks. She also became the first player to dunk twice in a game.
The Houston native lived up to the hype in her rookie campaign. Unfortunately, she was only making $49,440 per year under her rookie contract. This was the maximum amount a WNBA rookie could make in 2013. For context, the rookie base salaries increase by three percent every year. Therefore, if Griner was drafted in 2023 she would be making $73,584.
In 2017, the seven-time All-Star signed an extension with the Mercury. This was valued at four years, $554,000, with an average salary of $138,500. Subsequently, she signed a three-year, $664,544 extension in 2020. Her average salary was $221,515.
Most recently, the WNBA champion signed a one-year, $165,100 deal with the Mercury. This is Griner’s first contract since returning to America.
Griner makes more money playing overseas
Due to the modest threshold on her finances via the WNBA, Griner elected to spend her offseasons playing overseas. One month after leading the Mercury to the Western Conference Finals in 2013, Griner signed a four-month contract to play basketball in China.
She played in the Women’s Chinese Basketball Association (WCBA) and represented the Zhejiang Golden Bulls. Griner made $600,000 for the 2013-14 season.
Griner would play her following offseason in the WCBA, as well. This time for the Beijing Great Wall. Like her inaugural season in China, she made more than 10 times her WNBA salary.
She spent her next seven offseasons playing in Russia, for the UMMC Ekaterinburg. Once again, Griner earned exponentially more than she did in the WNBA. Her annual salary was reportedly around $1 million.
She has a historic Nike deal
In 2013, Griner became the first openly gay athlete to sign a deal with Nike. The contract was reportedly worth $1 million, with Griner making $5000 to $15000 a year.
Griner was appreciative of Nike for allowing her to embrace her own aesthetic. “It clicked for me,” Griner told ESPN. “I used to do the whole baggy, hard-core, I’m-a-boy look. Then I went through a preppy phase. Now I have the athletic, bow-tie look. I found my style.”
Griner is ready to return to the WNBA
Last February, Griner was arrested in Russia and sentenced to nine years in prison on drug-related charges. After a tumultuous 10 months, inundated with strenuous negotiations between the United States and Russia, Griner returned home. The ordeal subsided via a prisoner swap, with Griner exchanged for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout in the United Arab Emirates.
In a post on her Instagram, Griner thanked President Biden for his dedication to her safety. She also assured people that she will be playing for the Mercury this upcoming season.
“President Biden, you brought me home and I know you are committed to bringing Paul Whelan and all Americans home too,” Griner said. “I will use my platform to do whatever I can to help you. I also encourage everyone that played a part in bringing me home to continue their efforts to bring all Americans home. Every family deserves to be whole.”
Griner is unequivocally a future Hall-of-Famer. For her career, she averages 17.7 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 2.8 blocks per game.
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