It turns out the team simply chose to rest Griner. After a stellar preseason debut, 16 points and 10 rebounds in 19 minutes, against the Mystics, Atlanta decided to preserve their star before the regular season. Griner, an 11-year WNBA veteran and two-time scoring champion, has averaged 17.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks over her career.

After a game against the Atlanta Dream on Saturday, Cunningham sent a message to her former teammate, Brittney Griner, as both players enter new stages in their WNBA careers. "Former Mercury teammates Sophie Cunningham and Brittney Griner chatting it up just like old times," posted Ball Don't Lie.

The highly anticipated showdown between Brittney Griner and Caitlin Clark lasted only minutes before the Atlanta star exited the game, briefly raising concerns across the WNBA.