Brittney Griner to be inducted into Texas Sports Hall of Fame

WACO, Texas — WNBA star Brittney Griner is set to become one of the latest inductees into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.

The Phoenix Mercury center is a graduate of Baylor University in Waco, home of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame museum. Griner is the most decorated women’s basketball player in Baylor history and one of the most accomplished players in the NCAA.

The Texas Sports Hall of Fame recognizes athletes, coaches and administrators who have brought fame and honor to the state.

Griner is one of eight Texans receiving the honor. Fellow Class of 2025 inductees include Cedric Benson, Todd Dodge, Ed “Too Tall” Jones, Biz Mackey, Carla Overbeck, Chris Plonsky and Richmond Webb.

While at Baylor, Griner recorded the first triple-double in Baylor women’s basketball history and holds the Big 12 record in points scored, field goals made, free throws made and attempted and blocks.

Griner holds the NCAA blocks record for a season and career, and she is the sole player in NCAA women’s basketball history to have over 2,000 career points and 500 career blocks. During her collegiate career, Griner scored in double figures in 146 of 148 games played — the second-most in NCAA history.

Most recently, Griner won her third gold medal with Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics 18 months after being imprisoned in Russia.

In 2022, Griner was detained at a Moscow airport for having cannabis oil in her luggage while traveling for a game. She was later sentenced to nine years in prison and ended up spending 293 days in a Russian prison before being released in a prisoner swap.

“My country fought for me to get back,” Griner told Sports Illustrated in August. “And I was able to bring home gold for my country. There’s just no greater feeling. I didn’t think I would be here.

Griner has since written a book about her experience titled “Coming Home” and she and her wife Cherelle welcomed their first child back in July.