WNBA veteran Brittney Griner made noise in her first preseason game with the Atlanta Dream on Tuesday, leveling Washington Mystics guard Sonia Citron before the end of the first half.
The 6-foot-9 superstar set a screen for her teammate as she went toward the basket. Unbeknownst to Citron, Griner was in the way. When the rookie tried to defend her opposing player, she ran into Griner and fell like she was hit by a runaway train.
welcome to the wnba, sonia citron! pic.twitter.com/48EFgh5Hal
— marknee (@literallymuhree) May 7, 2025
As Griner and several of Citron’s teammates went to help her, she seemed dazed and stayed on the floor momentarily. It took Citron several seconds to gain her composure, but she stayed in the game.
sonia citron welcome to the wnba pic.twitter.com/6te08lVLGd
— correlation (@nosyone4) May 7, 2025
Game officials gave Griner an illegal screen charge as the Mystics were awarded the ball because of Griner’s action on the play.
The Dream won 80-70 in the preseason opener for both teams.
Griner led the Dream with 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting. She also pulled down 10 rebounds and handed out three assists. Meanwhile, Citron scored 5 points on 2-of-5 shooting.
The Dream will play the Mystics again on May 16 when the WNBA season starts.
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