WNBA All-Star Brittney Griner is changing teams.

Griner has come to an agreement on a one-year contract with the Atlanta Dream, which will be finalized on February 1, the date when WNBA player contracts become official, according to reports from ESPN on Tuesday.

“Free agency has been everything I wanted it to be,” Griner shared in an Instagram video featuring her new teammates Rhyne Howard, Allisha Gray, and Jordin Canada. “I’m excited for this new chapter.”

A 2014 WNBA champion, Griner spent her entire 11-year career with the Phoenix Mercury. During her time in Phoenix, she was selected to the All-Star team 10 times, received six All-WNBA Team honors, and made the All-Defensive Team seven times. She also claimed two scoring titles, eight block titles, and two Defensive Player of the Year awards. Griner leaves the Mercury as the franchise leader in blocks (812), rebounds (2,322), and field goal percentage (56.2%).

“It was tough to leave what I’ve known throughout my career. But I am also excited about the fresh start—’OK, this is a new beginning, I get to show them something different,’ ” Griner remarked. “I was able to figure out where I wanted to go, and what ultimately influenced my decision were the team, the individual players, and also my family.”

Last season, Griner recorded averages of 17.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.5 blocks over 30 games, all of which she started. After finishing at the bottom of the league in 2023 with a 9-31 record, the Mercury improved to seventh place in 2024 with a 19-21 record. They reached the playoffs but were eliminated in the first round by the Minnesota Lynx.

This transition signals the end of an era for the Mercury’s iconic duo—Griner and Diana Taurasi, who played together for 11 seasons. The pair secured the Mercury’s third and last WNBA title in 2014, after Griner was selected first overall in the 2013 WNBA Draft out of Baylor University.

“To be here 10 years later with you guys feels like a sisterhood,” Taurasi stated in September, celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the Mercury’s 2014 championship team. “We’ll always be connected by this trophy, this city, and this team.”

Taurasi was also prominently advocating for Griner’s safe return to the U.S. after her “wrongful detention” in Russia, where she spent nearly 10 months after vape cartridges containing cannabis oil were allegedly found in her luggage at an airport near Moscow. This incident caused Griner to miss the entire 2022 WNBA season, and she was released on December 8, 2022, in a prisoner swap.

“There’s no one like her in women’s basketball,” Taurasi said of Griner in 2023. “Her presence impacts the game significantly, and people often overlook her skills on the block and all of that.”

Not only were Griner and Taurasi teammates in the WNBA, but they also played together on the Olympic stage. They both contributed to winning a gold medal with the U.S. women’s basketball team at the 2024 Paris Olympics, marking Griner’s third gold and Taurasi’s sixth. They had previously secured gold together at the 2016 Rio Games and the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

It remains uncertain whether Taurasi will return to the Mercury for her 21st season. At 42, she is an unrestricted free agent and has suggested she might retire. On the same day, the Mercury traded for five-time All-Star forward Alyssa Thomas from the Connecticut Sun, sending guards Natasha Cloud, Rebecca Allen, and the 12th overall pick in the 2025 WNBA draft in exchange for Thomas and Ty Harris.