(VIDEO) Brittney Griner and Rickea Jackson ejected for fighting
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In their second-to-last game of the 2024 WNBA season, the Phoenix Mercury pulled off an 85-81 win over the Los Angeles Sparks.
The big storyline from that game was the fight that broke out between Mercury center Brittney Griner and Sparks rookie Rickea Jackson.
Late in the second quarter, both players started jawing at each other and both got a shove in before they were separated. However, the two kept going at it from a distance. Both players were ejected from the game.
On Thursday, ahead of Phoenix’s final game of the regular season, Griner finally addressed the heated altercation with Jackson.
“It’s basketball,” Griner said. “Stuff gets heated. Like, there’s nothing personal. I like Rickea. I like her game. So, no hard feelings or anything like that. It’s part of the game, though.”
Griner finished the game with 14 points on 7-of-8 shooting and three rebounds in just 14 minutes of action. Jackson, who played the entire half up to the fight, tallied eight points on 2-of-11 shooting and three rebounds.
The Mercury have secured the seventh seed in the WNBA Playoffs, and they will be facing off against the Minnesota Lynx in round one. The Sparks, on the other hand, are sitting dead last in the standings and have been eliminated from playoff contention. They will hope to get the No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft to unite UConn Huskies star Paige Bueckers with rookies Cameron Brink and Jackson.
Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner (42) LA Sparks forward Rickea Jackson (2)
© Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Griner and Phoenix’s final game will be against the Seattle Storm on Thursday, September 19, at 10:00 p.m. ET. The Sparks will get the Lynx in their finale at 8:00 p.m. ET.
