How tall is Brittney Griner? The Phoenix Mercury center's height, age and more stats

Last year she spent nearly 300 days wrongfully detained in Russia. This year, she was back on the court.

The Houston-born professional player returned for her 10th season with Phoenix Mercury this year and has no plans to fly the coop, according to ESPN. Griner, who has been with the Mercury for all of her WNBA career, is an unrestricted free agent and said Phoenix is "home."

Here’s everything you need to know about the pro player making sports and political headlines.

How tall is Brittney Griner?

Griner is 6 foot 9 inches tall, according to her WNBA profile.

This makes her one of the tallest players in professional women’s basketball. The tallest WNBA player ever is Margo Dydek, who played for the San Antonio Silver Stars, Connecticut Sun and Los Angeles Sparks in the early 2000s. She was 7 foot 2 inches tall.

Here are the top 5 tallest WNBA players, according to One37pm:

1. Margo Dydek: 7 foot 2

2. Han Xu (tie): 6 foot 10

3. Bernadett Hatar (tie): 6 foot 10

4. Liz Cambage (tie): 6 foot 9

5. Brittney Griner (tie): 6 foot 9

Who is Brittney Griner?: Her commitment to help 'wrongfully detained Americans'

How old is Brittney Griner?

Griner is 32 years old and was born on October 18, 1990. That’s right, the famed basketball pro is a Libra, who astrologists told USA TODAY are often “at the top of their field.”

Is Brittney Griner married?

Yes – Brittney Griner is married to Cherelle Griner, an attorney. The pair got engaged in August 2018 and tied the knot in June 2019. Griner has been married twice, first to fellow WNBA player Glory Johnson. Johnson and Griner split in 2016 after a year of marriage.

Cherelle was instrumental in Brittney’s freeing from Russian detention, regularly speaking out and reaching the ears of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden.

Why was Brittney Griner in Russia?

Griner became a household name outside of the pro basketball world when she was wrongfully detained in Russia last year. She was in the country playing for Russian professional basketball team UMMC Ekaterinburg, a team she’s played for since 2015.

According to NPR, many players head overseas during the WNBA’s off-season to continue playing and make more money.

Griner was stopped by authorities and arrested at a Moscow airport in February 2022, less than a week before Russia invaded Ukraine. News about her arrest wasn’t made public until about three weeks later. Griner faced drug smuggling charges after cannabis oil vape cartridges were found in her carry-on luggage. The U.S. has since reclassified Griner as being “wrongfully detained.” She was released in a prisoner swap in December 2022 after nearly 10 months in custody.

Is Sue Bird related to Larry Bird?: Facts about the retired Seattle Storm point guard

Just Curious for more? We've got you covered

USA TODAY is exploring the questions you and others ask every day. From "What is the fastest mile time?" to "What is a two-way contract in the NBA?" to "Who is the youngest billionaire?", we're striving to find answers to the most common questions you ask every day. Head to our Just Curious section to see what else we can answer for you.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How tall is Brittney Griner? WNBA player's height, age, more stats.