Brittney Griner to Caitlin Clark: WNBA Is ‘Different’ with Players Trying to ‘Feed Their Families’ (Exclusive)

The WNBA legend spoke with PEOPLE about her ten-month detainment in Russia, her new memoir and the talented young players entering the league

With Caitlin Clark already making a splash (and bank) as the No. 1 overall pick by the Indiana Fever in the 2024 WNBA draft, a player who has been in her position is offering words of support — and a word of warning.

“The hype that Caitlin and some others have right now is amazing for the league,” says Brittney Griner, 33, who details her 10-month Russian detainment in this week’s issue of PEOPLE. “There’s good talent coming in.”

Griner, who recently re-signed with the Phoenix Mercury, the team she’s spent 10 seasons with after becoming their No. 1 overall pick in 2013, understands the hype that comes with being deemed a “generational” player. The 6’9” center was already throwing down rim-rattling dunks as an 18-year-old high schooler in Houston, Texas. (She dunked 52 times in 32 games, going viral in the process.) As No. 1 high school prospect in the country, Griner committed to Baylor University, where she was a three-time All-American, an AP Player of the Year, an NCAA National Champion and a 2012 ESPY winner for Best Female Athlete.

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Caitlin Clark poses with WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert after being selected first overall pick by the Indiana Fever during the 2024 WNBA Draft at Brooklyn Academy of Music on April 15, 2024 in New York City.SARAH STIER/GETTY

Despite the accolades, Griner remembers a difficult transition to the next level. “It’s different, when you come from college to the pros,” says Griner of what Clark and others will face in the WNBA. “I went from top dog to my numbers going down a bit. You’re going up against grown women. This is how they feed their families. This is not just for the love of the [game]. This is their livelihood.”

WNBA President Laurel Richie poses with Brittney Griner after being drafted number one overall by the Phoenix Mercury during the 2013 WNBA Draft Presented By State Farm on April 15, 2013 at ESPN in Bristol, Connecticut.JESSE D. GARRABRANT/NBAE VIA GETTY

Griner, who calls her 2013 rookie season an “eye-opener,” says that Clark, 22, will have to adjust her game to account for the tougher competition. “I had to get stronger, lock in a little more. There will be some growing [pains] for her, but she’ll be fine.”

She admits she followed the NCAA Women’s Championship closely, and that she wasn’t rooting for Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes — no disrespect intended. As it happens, Griner’s longtime friend, mentor and former Team USA coach, Dawn Staley, is the current coach of the South Carolina Gamecocks, who defeated Iowa on April 7 in the final game.

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“I saw [Staley] at the Final Four, right before the National Championship. I told her, ‘Go get it. That’s yours.’ I just knew South Carolina was going to win. The way Dawn prepares — I’ve said it so many times — the way she prepares those young ladies to play basketball, but also prepares them for life…. She really cares about how they grow as people, and grow in society. It’s amazing what she’s doing.”

Head coach Dawn Staley of the South Carolina Gamecocks is showered with confetti after defeating the Iowa Hawkeyes 87-75 at the 2024 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament championship game between Iowa and South Carolina at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on April 7, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio.

Griner thanks Staley in her memoir, Coming Home, for the work she did to keep her in the public consciousness during her Russian detainment. “While in Russia, my greatest fear was that I’d be forgotten,” she writes in the acknowledgements. “Thank you for reminding the world of me daily on social media. You spoke my name to anyone who would listen. You also forfeited your visit to the White House to get my wife [Cherelle Griner] a meeting with President Biden. You’re a force and a friend.”

The Phoenix Mercury and Indiana Fever will meet for the first time this season on June 30, potentially placing Clark and Griner on the court at the same time. By then, the two could also be squad mates on Team USA; the selection committee will name the final 12-woman roster in early summer. Griner, a two-time veteran, should be a lock. And Clark, while young, could prove too good to deny a spot.

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Brittney Griner of the Phoenix Mercury shoots the ball during the game against the Los Angeles Sparks on July 9, 2023 at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona.BARRY GOSSAGE/NBAE VIA GETTY

Whether at the Olympics or in the WNBA, Griner says she still has more to prove, but she’ll be honest with herself when it’s time to wrap up her sterling career.

“I used to say I’d play until the wheels fell off,” she says. “But when I can’t produce the way I want to produce, I’ll hang it up. I don’t want to push the envelope or hold back the team. When I can’t hang with them anymore, I’ll [retire]. Whatever number [of seasons] that is.”