Brittney Griner, Diana Taurasi among 6 ejected after Mercury and Wings scuffle | WNBA Highlights
Published -
- August 11, 2019
- 6:25 am
Brittney Griner chases Kristine Anigwe down the court and is restrained.
This caused both players to be ejected along with Diana Taurasi, Briann January, Kayla Thornton and Kaela Davis during the Dallas Wings’ 80-77 victory over the Phoenix Mercury.
What is Brittney Griner’s history of disciplinary issues in the WNBA, and what might be the consequences of her involvement in this latest altercation?
On Saturday, May 8, the WNBA game between the Phoenix Mercury and the Dallas Wings was disrupted by a brief clash, resulting in six players being ejected, including the Mercury’s superstar duo, Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi.
The incident happened in the fourth quarter of the game, with the Mercury leading 71-68 at the time. Dallas’ Kristaps Porzingis inbounded the ball, but it was intercepted by the Mercury’s Kia Nurse, who was then fouled by Wings’ guard Marina Mabrey. As Nurse was getting up from the floor, she and Mabrey exchanged words, with both players appearing to bump into each other.
At that point, Griner and Taurasi stepped in to defend their teammate, resulting in a scuffle between the two teams. Other players, including the Wings’ Satou Sabally and Meghan Gustafson and the Mercury’s Brianna Turner, also got involved.
After a review of the incident, the six players were ejected from the game, with the Mercury hanging on to win 80-77. Griner, arguably the league’s best defensive player, had 19 points and 6 rebounds before being ejected, while Taurasi, one of the league’s most decorated players, had 10 points and 8 assists.
The implications of this altercation are significant for both teams, as they are two of the league’s top contenders for the championship. Griner, who has a history of disciplined issues, could face further scrutiny from the league for her role in the incident.
This is not the first time that Griner has been involved in such an incident. In 2019, she was suspended for three games after throwing punches during a game against the Dallas Wings. The league’s referee crew chief, Tom Mauer, stated after the most recent incident that “there’s punching, and then there’s not punching, so we deemed that we needed to eject people.”
The league has yet to announce any further disciplinary action against Griner, Taurasi or any of the other players involved in the altercation. However, the incident serves as a reminder of the volatility and passion of professional basketball games, while also highlighting the importance of discipline and sportsmanship for players at all levels.
