Brittney Griner

From both an on-court and on-paper aspect, the Chicago Sky’s 2024 WNBA Draft pairing boasts the look of a duo capable of becoming the league’s premier frontcourt of the future. As they continue to ascend towards stardom, the rookie duo can look back at August 15, 2024 as the day they met one of history’s proven staples at the center position. Accurately described as “unguardable” in every season since her 2013 arrival, Brittney Griner gets Phoenix’s offense within flow before receiving the ball once more with No. 3 selection Kamilla Cardoso challenging her in a battle of low-post powers. Having been around the proverbial block a few times, the experienced Griner prevails, first through a deceptive pump-fake, sweep-through pairing that magnetizes her path to the rim, and then through a nifty reverse pivot that sets up an and-one bucket. Admittedly looking forward to the faceoff against Chicago’s similarly-sized talent, Griner was in vintage form, recording 23 points (on 10-of-12 shooting), nine rebounds, six assists, two steals, five blocks, and a 3-pointer. Complementing the Phoenix Mercury’s win with history, Griner became just WNBA history’s second player to accumulate said numbers in a non-overtime, regular-season setting.