WACO, Texas — History has been made. Brittney Griner was forever immortalized as the Bears retired Griner's jersey.
Brittney Griner becomes only the 7th player in Baylor basketball history to have their jersey retired, but she is the first to have it raised in the rafters of the Foster Pavilion.
Brittney Griner. Legend. #SicEm #Baylor pic.twitter.com/aIgniyeyCd
— Shahji Adam (@ShahjiAdam) February 18, 2024
"We know that Michael Johnson has a track and RG3 has a statue. But I'm not sure Baylor has ever done what we did. If you talk about Baylor's Mount Rushmore, Brittney Griner's on it," head coach Nicki Collen said.
Griner's influence wasn't just at Baylor, but it has reached all across college basketball and sports.
"I've known of Brittney Griner since I was a child. I think she's really hard working and I love that about her and when you hear Baylor, you think of Brittney Griner," Jana Van Gytenbeek said.
"I remember when I was really young, I told my dad, I don't know if I'm gonna be that big, but I wanna be as dominant as her," Bella Fontleroy said. "I wanna be able to go out and alter shot, make people alter their shots and block shots rebound, run the floor. And I was like, maybe I can even dunk one day too. You know, she's a once in a lifetime talent," she said.
Griner played for the Bears for four seasons and finished with 3,283 points, 1,305 rebounds, 748 blocks (NCAA leader), and 18 dunks.
Everyone in attendance got a special shirt honoring Griner and they presented a video honoring her greatest moments.
