Brittney Griner recorded her 25th career dunk Sunday night in the Phoenix Mercury's 78-72 win over the Los Angeles Sparks -- and her first since returning to WNBA play following her nearly 10-month detainment in Russia.
Early in the second quarter, Griner received the ball from teammate Sug Sutton after slipping behind the Sparks' Azura Stevens near the low block before turning around with a clear path for the one-handed slam.
Prior to Sunday, her last dunk had come in the 2021 WNBA Finals.
"It felt good, it felt good," Griner said of the dunk. "Thought I forgot how to dunk for a little bit there."
Griner has recorded 18 dunks in regular-season competition, two in the playoffs and five in WNBA All-Star Games.
Sunday's dunk was an emphatic moment in a promising day for the last-place Mercury, who earned their fourth win of the season. Griner tied her season high in scoring with 29 points (12-for-18 shooting) and pulled down 11 rebounds for her third double-double.
"I think it's always great playing here with the X Factor behind us, and any small thing they go crazy over, which is great. But that dunk definitely -- I mean, it was loud in there," interim Mercury coach Nikki Blue said. "When something like that happens, it is electrifying, and I think it helped us take it to another level."
The Sparks rallied late to pull within two, but the Mercury, who led by as many as 13, finished out the final 1:21 by outscoring Los Angeles 6-2. Griner scored Phoenix's final two points from the free throw line to seal the victory.
It was the Mercury's second win under Blue, who took over in late June following Vanessa Nygaard's firing. The Mercury were 2-10 under Nygaard and are 2-4 so far under Blue.
Griner, a nine-time All-Star and 2014 WNBA champion, is averaging 19.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.1 blocks, all team highs.
The Mercury star has a chance to add to her dunk tally in next Saturday's 2023 WNBA All-Star Game, where she will be a starter for Breanna Stewart's Team Stewart.
