Brittney Griner shuts down retirement talk with blunt message after Sun loss

TL;DR

Brittney Griner firmly dismissed retirement speculation following the Connecticut Sun's loss to the New York Liberty. She made it clear that she intends to continue her career into 2026.

Key points

Brittney Griner dismissed retirement rumors
Connecticut Sun lost to New York Liberty
Griner plans to continue her career into 2026
Her comments addressed speculation about her future

Connecticut SunNew York LibertyBrittney Griner

Brittney Griner shuts down retirement talk with blunt message after Sun loss originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

There was a moment on Sunday where the result really didn’t matter. The Connecticut Sun lost their preseason finale to the New York Liberty, but the bigger takeaway came from how Brittney Griner looked and what she said afterward. Because if there was any question about where Griner stands heading into 2026, she answered it herself.

Griner pushes back on retirement noise

Griner did not dance around the topic.

“A lot of people counting me out, want to call me old, want to set me to retire,” she said after the game. “But I’m not. I got a lot to go, and this team is bringing a lot out of me.”

At 35 and entering her 13th WNBA season, Griner is hearing the same questions many veterans face. The difference here is how quickly she pushed back and how clearly she backed it up on the floor.

Production that tells a different story

Even in a 79-67 loss, Griner stood out. She finished with 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting in just 21 minutes. She added four rebounds and looked comfortable throughout, especially offensively. There was also something new in her game.