Brittney Griner ‘filled with emotion’ as Baylor retires No. 42

WACO, Texas — Brittney Griner’s No. 42 jersey was retired by Baylor on Sunday, when the two-time AP nationwide participant of the yr and profession blocks chief attended a Bears residence sport for the primary time since her senior season 11 years in the past. The standout heart even did an impromptu slam dunk.

Griner was a part of Baylor’s 40-0 nationwide championship crew as a junior in the course of the 2011-12 season, the primary of her consecutive AP participant of the yr awards. Her remaining residence video games have been when the Bears received within the first two rounds of the NCAA match on the Ferrell Middle on campus in March 2013, together with three dunks in her final sport there, earlier than dropping the next weekend to Louisville within the Candy 16.

The jersey was raised to the rafters within the new Foster Pavilion, the place Baylor started taking part in final month. The ceremony earlier than a sport in opposition to Texas Tech included video highlights from her profession. Griner was visibly touched by the response from the Baylor followers, waving at them and patting her coronary heart although she did not tackle the group.

“Simply filled with emotion,” Griner mentioned throughout an in-game interview on the ESPN broadcast. “As quickly as [the jersey] began to go up, that is once I began to interrupt.”

Griner mentioned it meant every little thing to be honored and appreciated by the varsity that she gave a lot to throughout her time there. She accomplished her Baylor diploma in 2019.

When Baylor college students have been collaborating in a halftime contest to dunk like Griner, she got here onto the court docket and delighted the group with a one-handed dunk of her personal.

Baylor received the sport 61-32.

In 148 video games over 4 seasons with Baylor, the 6-foot-8 heart averaged 22.2 factors, 8.8 rebounds and 5.1 blocked photographs. Griner’s 3,283 whole factors are a Huge 12 document and fifth on the NCAA profession checklist, and her 748 blocks nonetheless stand as an NCAA document for ladies or males.

Nicki Collen had mentioned since changing into Baylor’s coach three years in the past that she needed to retire the No. 42 jersey. That was delayed when Griner was detained and imprisoned in Russia for 11 months in 2022 earlier than she got here again to the U.S. in a high-profile prisoner swap.

Earlier than Sunday’s sport, Collen mentioned she pushed for that as a result of she believed it was proper for this system and Griner.

Collen wore a gold blazer with No. 42 distinguished on the again. The jacket additionally had lots of Griner’s accomplishments stitched on the sleeves.

Griner’s coach at Baylor was Kim Mulkey, who received three nationwide titles in her 21 seasons with the Bears earlier than returning to her residence state as LSU’s coach in April 2021.

“I believe it is superior,” Mulkey mentioned Saturday, when requested about Griner’s jersey being retired by Baylor.

Nobody has worn No. 42 for Baylor since Griner completed her school profession.

When requested in the course of the ESPN interview what she remembered most fondly from her time at Baylor, she mentioned it was the moments she spent with teammates and followers.

“If you look again at it, you begin to neglect concerning the stats. You simply bear in mind the wins, and also you bear in mind all the opposite issues,” Griner mentioned.

Phoenix chosen Griner No. 1 total within the 2013 WNBA draft, and he or she has been a six-time All-Star whereas spending her whole profession with the Mercury. She can also be a two-time Olympic gold medalist.

It’s the seventh ladies’s basketball jersey retired by Baylor, the others being Odyssey Sims, Melissa Jones, Nina Davis, Suzie Snider Eppers, Sheila Lambert and Sophia Younger. Griner was teammates with Sims and Jones.