Baylor University to retire No. 42 jersey next month in honor of Brittney Griner

The Baylor women’s basketball program will be retiring Brittney Griner’s No. 42 jersey next month, the university says.

The Phoenix Mercury star is a former Baylor Bear, and will have her jersey retired during a ceremony before the game on Feb. 18. The Bears will be playing Texas Tech at 3 p.m. that day, Baylor said.

“I’m honored to return home to Baylor and celebrate where so much of my journey started,” Griner said. “I’m grateful to Coach Nicki (Collen) and the entire Baylor community and looking forward to the opportunity to be back on campus, spend time with the team and have my family beside me to share in this incredible moment. Sic ‘Em Bears.”

Griner’s jersey will be the seventh jersey retired by the Baylor women’s program, ESPN reported. Two others include her former teammates, Odyssey Sims and Melissa Jones.

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Griner was the No. 1 pick in the WNBA’s 2013 draft, according to ESPN. She led Baylor to the NCAA Women’s Final Four. She also had a perfect 40-0 national championship season while she was a junior at Baylor. Griner is also a two-time Olympic gold medalist.

Griner is also a WNBA champion, capturing the 2014 title with the Phoenix Mercury.

Griner finished her college basketball career with 3,282 points and 1,305 rebounds, according to The Associated Press.

“We are excited to welcome Brittney back to Baylor and share this special day with her,” Baylor Vice President and Director of Athletics Mack Rhoades said. “There’s no doubt she is one of the most decorated student-athletes in Baylor athletics history and we’re thrilled the timing has worked out for all of us to celebrate and honor her. She always has been, and always will be, a significant member of the Baylor Family.”

“We’re excited to have Brittney back on campus and honor her with the retirement of her jersey,” Baylor Coach Nicki Collen said. “I have been saying this since I arrived at Baylor that she deserves to have her jersey retired and I wanted to make sure that happened when the timing was right. With the opening of Foster Pavilion, and the WNBA offseason fitting into our season, this seemed like the right time to honor Brittney and welcome her back home. She is one of the best basketball players in Baylor’s history and we’re thrilled that the time has come to celebrate Brittney and all of her accomplishments.”

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