Brittney Griner’s Jersey Retirement at Baylor Was 12 Years within the Making

WACO, Texas — At halftime of Baylor’s recreation towards Texas Tech on Sunday, fanatics took section in a dunk contest. In the overall spherical, one contestant requested Brittney Griner to go him the ball off the backboard, which she straight away agreed to with none apply reps. Her first strive ignored the contestant altogether. Her 2d go used to be a bit too cushy, and the fan used to be already on his method down when he stuck the ball, so he used to be pressured to put it in as an alternative of with the ability to dunk.

As the gang cheered the trouble regardless of the end result, Griner made up our minds that the fanatics had been owed a slam anyway. In her cumbersome Baylor letterman jacket and Chucks on her ft, Griner took the ball and jammed it in with one hand, making up for her pass over within the help division.

They had been doing a halftime dunk contest…

AND THEN BRITTNEY GRINER CAME ON THE COURT AND THREW ONE DOWN #NCAAW | @NoCapSpaceWBB pic.twitter.com/K5gIrRdUwP

— Tyler DeLuca (@TylerDeLuca) February 18, 2024

In a way, it used to be a well-recognized sight for the Bears fanatics in attendance. No participant in ladies’s basketball historical past has dunked as steadily as Griner, who had 18 in her Baylor occupation. The visible of Griner slamming the ball in the course of the hoop, and celebrating uproariously later on, is person who they’ve grown conversant in.

But Griner hadn’t dunked at Baylor in additional than a decade. Until Sunday, she hadn’t been at a Bears recreation since her collegiate occupation ended within the 2013 NCAA Tournament. The dominance, the enjoyment, the silliness — that they had all been absent.

Sunday used to be a turning level. Twelve years after she performed her final recreation in a Bears uniform, Baylor in any case retired Griner’s No. 42 jersey. The three-time All-American, two-time nationwide participant of the 12 months, one-time nationwide champion and Final Four maximum remarkable participant, and all-time occupation blocks chief is now memorialized within the rafters of Foster Pavilion, the 7th participant in program historical past to earn the honour. Baylor and Brittney Griner are opting for to as soon as once more hyperlink themselves in combination, this time for excellent.

This second. @brittneygriner #SicEm | #GreaterThan pic.twitter.com/cTfnyOiVLi

— Baylor Women’s Basketball (@BaylorWBB) February 18, 2024

At an alumni match on Saturday, Griner mentioned that she is aware of she hasn’t been round shortly, however this is going to modify. Baylor University is her house, and now that she has returned as soon as, she’s going to stay coming again.

“All I wanted was Brittney to feel loved, by our team, by our university, by our community,” Baylor trainer Nicki Collen mentioned later on. “It was emotional to see her tears. It was emotional to see her smiles yesterday. Whether this is healing or whatever, she’s a part of our family and I’m so grateful that we were able to get this done.”

The statistical argument for retiring Griner’s jersey is a no brainer. Her record of accolades dwarfs some other participant at school historical past, leader amongst them main Baylor to a 40-0 title-winning season in 2012, the primary time a crew had gained 40 video games with out shedding in NCAA historical past. Once Collen took over as Baylor’s head trainer in 2021, she says she “put it in the air that day.” Recognizing Griner used to be a concern from the instant she used to be employed, person who used to be placed on dangle by means of Griner’s arrest and next detention in Russia.

Once Griner returned to the U.S., it used to be a question of discovering a date that labored together with her WNBA, USA Basketball, and different commitments. Collen and Baylor had been additionally adamant that the sport be nationally televised, as a participant of Griner’s caliber deserved the most important level, even in retirement.

Despite the lengthy absence, Griner have compatibility proper in on campus, the place she performed from 2009 to 2013 underneath former Baylor trainer Kim Mulkey, with whom she has lengthy had a thorny courting. Though Griner declined via her illustration to talk to newshounds, on the alumni match she fondly recalled longboarding down the quad as a scholar and prompt that she would get again on her board sooner than heading house. She shared her go-to faculty meal — a meat and cheese burger with a caramel shake at Health Camp — and admitted that her style buds haven’t modified a lot at the same time as she has moved into maturity. She mentioned her favourite route in faculty on British literature, and her former professor took place to be in attendance, satisfied to reconnect with Griner.

She giddily watched highlights of her faculty days, giggling on the brashness of her more youthful self. She relayed a tale of the 2010 Final Four in San Antonio when the Bears noticed the UConn Huskies at the different aspect of the River Walk and proceeded to bark at them in anticipation in their nationwide semifinal recreation, which they ended up shedding. As a video of her dunks got here up at the display screen, she rubbed her knees and sighed, now not as bouncy as she used to be sooner than.

Griner is relaxed any place and with somebody, however Baylor is her house. At the sport Sunday, she sought out fanatics who had been season-ticket holders when she used to be at school. One guy who have been in attendance for Griner’s taking part in occupation used to be excited to carry his daughter, who wasn’t born then, to fulfill her for the primary time. Griner ran in the course of the tunnel like a participant when she made her front, getting moved to tears pregame when her jersey used to be published.

The second 🤩#SicEm pic.twitter.com/KmhpIZQkGu

— Baylor Athletics (@BaylorAthletics) February 18, 2024

She and previous teammate Odyssey Sims clapped and nodded in encouragement when Aijha Blackwell discovered Darianna Littlepage-Buggs beneath the basket for a very simple layup. Griner were given up and cheered on a next ownership when Littlepage-Buggs had a block at the perimeter. She had a dialogue with referee Maj Forsberg — a veteran of NCAA and WNBA video games — a couple of play at the Bears’ finish of the court docket. After the sport, she stood in step with the gamers and coaches all through the making a song of Baylor’s alma mater.

She used to be so invested within the setting at Baylor that she didn’t realize till halfway via the second one quarter {that a} complete contingent of Phoenix Mercury personnel used to be readily available, and sitting courtside, to witness the instant. Among those that made the commute to have fun Griner had been Mercury president Vince Kozar, former head trainer Sandy Brondello, present coaches Nate Tibbetts, Michael Joiner and Kristi Toliver, and normal supervisor Nick U’Ren.

Griner used to be out of her seat all through each and every stoppage as she reputedly tried to connect to every of the 7,093 fanatics within the development. After the Bears had earned a relaxed victory — Collen mentioned her gamers had been impressed to offer their perfect defensive efficiency of the season in entrance of Griner — the celebrity spent just about an hour taking footage with hordes of alumni, personnel, former gamers and donors.

When she used to be interviewed by means of Sheryl Swoopes and Brenda VanLengen at the ESPN broadcast, Griner mentioned that gazing her jersey be unveiled made her really feel “seen.” Frankly, it’s arduous to consider Griner present some other method.

She is the most important presence in any room, actually and figuratively. At 6-foot-9, together with her million-watt smile, she straight away captures your consideration. Then, there’s her infectious character. She’s goofy and recreation for the rest, at all times simply seeking to have a great time, simply as she did towards the Red Raiders. People are attracted to her.

Griner used to be born to be noticed, to be witnessed in all her glory. She will have to be the college’s largest asset, the individual they name to seal the care for a recruit or to mentor more youthful gamers in apply. She belongs on Baylor’s model of Mount Rushmore.

Great second postgame with BG and Lety Vasconcelos. One Baylor large passing on tips to every other. pic.twitter.com/Uic2Z1WsVd

— Sabreena Merchant (@sabreenajm) February 19, 2024

Griner had an extended communicate with Lety Vasconcelos after the buzzer. The 6-7 freshman has performed in most effective 15 video games and has reached double-digit mins two times. But Griner used to be in her ear, explaining to a fellow heart what she noticed down the stretch within the fourth quarter and find out how to maneuver her frame to make use of her measurement to her merit.

Griner’s presence continues to be significant to the Bears, these kinds of years later. Whether she’s revving up a crowd or passing at the classes of her dominance, she has a job to play with Baylor. The college in any case opened the door for Griner to come back again, and he or she ran all over. She’s up for the rest, which now features a 2d act on the website online of her largest triumphs.

(Top photograph of Brittney Griner: Ron Jenkins / Getty Images)