Baylor coach Nicki Collen said the program plans to retire Bears legend Brittney Griner’s jersey number next year.
“That’s the goal,” Collen said, per ESPN. “We’re opening a new arena. There’s no doubt that I want to see her jersey in the rafters.”
Collen made the remarks Wednesday night when she attended an WNBA game between Griner’s Phoenix Mercury and the Dallas Wings in Arlington, Texas.
Baylor is scheduled to open the Foster Pavilion in January 2024, replacing the Ferrell Center as the home of the men’s and women’s basketball teams.
Griner, 32, was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2013 WNBA Draft after a decorated collegiate career in Waco, Texas. A three-time Big 12 Player of the Year and two-time consensus All-American, she led the Bears to the 2012 national championship.
Griner is back with the Mercury this season after missing the 2022 campaign while being detained in Russia for 10 months on drug charges. She returned to the U.S. in December.
“I played some of my best basketball there, met some amazing people there, met my wife there,” Griner said of returning to Baylor, per ESPN. “I can’t wait to get back. It’s safe to say I’m never going overseas to play basketball again, so in the offseason, I’ll be able to actually go and see games.”
–Field Level Media