Brittney Griner Skipping Team Road Trip To Focus On Mental Health

For at least the next two games, the Phoenix Mercury will be without Brittney Griner.

The 6-foot-9 center did not travel with the team for its Midwest road trip, the Mercury announced. Instead, she's staying home "to focus on her mental health."

"The Mercury fully support Brittney and we will continue to work together on a timeline for her return," the team tweeted.

The nine-time WNBA All-Star is averaging 18.2 points and 6.7 rebounds over 20 games this season.

Off the court, though, it's been a rough couple of years for Griner.

She, of course, took an involuntary leave of absence from the team while she served nearly 10 months in a Russian prison. That’s after she pleaded guilty to drug charges when authorities discovered cannabis oil vape canisters in her luggage.

Brittney Griner will miss at least the next two games for the Phoenix Mercury. (Photo by Kenny Giarla/NBAE via Getty Images)

And last month, she faced "harassment" when social media personality Alex Stein tried to ask her questions while she walked through the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport.

This incident prompted the WNBA to announce, moving forward, Griner would fly charter instead of commercial.

"It's a shame that it had to get to rock bottom because I feel like waiting for something to happen and then making a change … you don't know what that 'something's' gonna be," she said of WNBA's charter situation.

"We've all seen what can happen in this world. And when you play the, 'Let's-wait-and-see-game' you're really playing with fire. You're playing with people's lives."

Griner will miss road games against the Chicago Sky on Sunday and Indiana Fever on Tuesday.

No word yet on whether her leave of absence will extend beyond this road trip. Regardless, we hope she gets the help she needs.