LAS VEGAS -- Brittney Griner and Breanna Stewart sat side-by-side on the dais Friday, former Olympic teammates now playing on the same All-Star team. A year ago, this was the scene everyone in the WNBA hoped for, but didn't know if they would see again.
Team Stewart will face Team A'ja Wilson in the WNBA All-Star Game at Michelob Ultra Arena on Saturday (ABC/ESPN App, 8:30 p.m. ET). The Phoenix Mercury's Griner, who was voted in as a starter, said it has felt both surreal and exciting for her to be back among the best of her peers.
"I'm just taking it in, and I definitely appreciate it even more," said Griner, who is an All-Star for the eighth time, including last year when she was named in an honorary capacity.
Griner missed all of the 2022 WNBA season while being detained in Russia. During the 2022 All-Star Game in Chicago, players from both teams donned No. 42 jerseys for the second half in honor of Griner.
"I found out a little after the fact, and it was emotional for sure," Griner said of her reaction when she heard of the tribute while still in Russian prison. "Just seeing that love and support and how everyone was so on board for me. In that moment, it was everything."
Griner, who was freed in a prisoner exchange with Russia in December, was New York Liberty star Stewart's first choice as All-Star captain. The two played for gold-winning Team USA in the 2016 and 2020 Olympics.
"Looking back to last year, at All-Star and through the entire season, there was a void in the WNBA, there was something that was missing," Stewart said. "And that was BG. We continued to do whatever we could to make sure that she knew we were still thinking of her, that we were still fighting for her.
"Fast-forwarding to this year's All-Star, it's incredible to have her here, to have her on my team. That was like my No. 1 [thing]. I had to do some behind-the-scenes negotiations [with Wilson] to make sure I got everything right, the way I wanted it."
Griner enters the All-Star Game averaging 19.5 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.9 blocks. The Mercury have struggled with a 4-15 record and fired coach Vanessa Nygaard on June 25. But the 32-year-old Griner, despite all her time away from the game, has been a model of consistency for Phoenix.
"It's incredible, and it's really inspiring the way she continues to carry herself and use her platform for something bigger," Stewart said of Griner's work for still detained Americans abroad and their families. "And the way she's able to come back and be a force, be a presence on the court. We've all missed it, and enjoy watching her play."
Griner said returning to the event brings back many memories of past All-Star Games.
"I remember me and Shavonte Zellous showed up at All-Star one year and we had the exact same outfit on. And everybody kept saying, 'Are you all the waiters?'" Griner said, laughing. "We had black bow ties, white shirts and black slacks. I remember that moment and us becoming great friends. There are so many great moments we take in. But this game is for the fans, putting on a show. Of course, we want to win."
Then Griner, a two-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, added with a grin, "I think we'll play a little more defense than some other All-Star Games."