Under the roof of Atlanta’s State Farm Arena, Brittney Griner played her first at-home game with the Atlanta Dream. Along with her teammates, Brionna Jones, Te-Hina Paopao, Taylor Thierry, and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough.
Coming off a winning game in Indiana against the Fever, Griner was greeted with welcoming cheers, like the GOAT she is. The former Phoenix Mercury star, affectionately called BG, appeared “rejuvenated” during a pregame shootaround and postgame with her son, Bash. This aligns with how she feels about Atlanta.
“I definitely have a new energy being here in Atlanta. I feel like I’m at home,” Griner told the New York Times.
BG took to the paint with the arena’s newly-decorated court emboldened with new messaging: “Pay Some Respect To Women’s Sports.” The Atlanta Dream partnered with CashApp and Playa Society to drop this campaign, which will put people in the proper perspective about women’s work in the sports industry if there’s still any doubt.
Since the WNBA season began May 16, the Atlanta Dream team has been putting in that work, beating out Catlin Clark and the Indiana Fever 91-90 on May 20 in an away game.
The Dream’s Brionna Jones showcased her all-around impact in her recent two-game stretch against the rival team. In the first victory, she recorded 19 points, 13 rebounds, three assists, a steal, and a block, shooting 6-of-12 from the field. While the Dream fell 81-76 on May 22, Jones managed 15 points and 11 rebounds, along with three assists and a steal, doing so with zero turnovers in the game, and adding two three-pointers. Jones spoke on the team’s performance postgame:
“We’ve gone through the first three games [and] we are getting a little bit more comfortable,” Jones said. “I think there’s still room to grow … playing off each other, the way the offense flows. We really have to know each other and know where we want our spots and what each other wants.”
Atlanta rookie Te-Hina Paopao, who her teammates praised as a great asset, provided an offensive spark with 11 points. Her perimeter shooting was particularly effective, as she drained 3-of-6 attempts from beyond the arc. Beyond scoring, Paopao also dished out three assists and grabbed two rebounds for her team. She finished the night with two turnovers.
Brittney Griner had a relatively quiet night offensively, scoring five points on 2-of-6 shooting, but was active on the boards with seven rebounds and one block. Turnovers were an issue for her, committing three in 24 minutes of game time.
On the other hand, Rhyne Howard delivered a notable offensive effort, leading the Dream with 24 points on 8-of-17 shooting from the field, including 3-of-7 from beyond the arc. In 37 minutes of action, she filled the stat sheet with five rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one block, converting five of her six free-throw attempts. Despite her all-around production, the Dream still suffered an 81-76 defeat to the Indiana Fever.
Post game, Howard shared Jones’ sentiment on the Dream’s performance when asked what she might have learned in the first few games of the season, being a new team:
“I’ve had different post players, we have different cards, and so the best thing about it is that we’re learning the new system together …” Howard said. “We’re all on the same page at the end of the day.”
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