INDIANAPOLIS — Britney Griner only played 11 minutes in Friday’s game between the Phoenix Mercury and Indiana Fever after she went down with an apparent leg injury. However, before the game, the former WNBA champion and two-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year had this to say about how Fever rookie Caitlin Clark has handled her transition to professional basketball.
“I can only imagine what it’s like for her,” Griner said. “… She probably can’t even go to the grocery store and get her own groceries. I’ve experienced that before, and it’s a lot.”
Clark said she and Griner had only met once prior to Friday’s game, a brief interaction before June 30’s matchup against the Mercury. However, as a lifelong basketball fan, Clark grew up seeing Griner help grow the WNBA to the heights it’s at now.
“As long as I’ve watched this league, she has been a staple of this league,” Clark said. “For her to say that is not something you take lightly.”
Griner recorded four points in the Mercury’s 95-86 loss to the Fever, where Clark notched her fifth-straight double-double with 20 points and 13 assists.
Contact Kyle Smedley with comments via email at KSmedley@Gannett.com or via X @KyleSmedley_.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Brittney Griner, Caitlin Clark have formed quick mutual respect
