Brittney Griner and Rickea Jackson ignited a bench-clearing scuffle in the latest Mercury-Sparks matchup
Brittney Griner and Rickea Jackson got into a mid-game scuffle Tuesday and had to be separated by their teams.
Phoenix’s Celeste Taylor was shooting a free throw, and Griner and Jackson stood next to each other as players waited for the shot to be completed. It’s not uncommon for players of opposing teams to jockey for position in the off-chance someone misses a free throw, and a rebound can be grabbed.
But it seems Brittney might have gotten a little too physical with Rickea during the positioning — using an elbow to create some separation — and the rookie took exception to it. Words between the pair were quickly exchanged, and soon, the two approached each other, initiating more contact. In the blink of an eye, Griner was going after Jackson, and Jackson was seemingly squaring up with Griner.
Brittney Griner and Rickea Jackson pic.twitter.com/YxUdsNEKYE
— Tyler DeLuca (@TylerDeLuca) September 18, 2024
Brittney Griner and Rickea Jackson were both ejected from Mercury-Sparks following this exchange. pic.twitter.com/09u2f1XfCU
— espnW (@espnW) September 18, 2024
Coaches and players from both teams quickly cleared the benches and separated the pair, and eventually, Griner and Jackson were ejected.
There was a physical altercation between the LA Sparks' Rickea Jackson and Phoenix Mercury's Brittney Griner.
Griner and Jackson were each ejected. Crystal Dangerfield and Sophie Cunningham each received a technical.#WNBA #WNBATwitter #ValleyTogether #TheNewClassic pic.twitter.com/IekOpDh9HP
— Desert Wave Media (@DesertWaveCo) September 18, 2024
Later, Jackson would return to the court after her ejection, but things didn’t stop there. Both Rickea and Brittney sparred on Instagram with fans who had thoughts about the squabble.
Here are some of the comments we’ve found (Warning: very NSFW language):
”come and get me then!” pic.twitter.com/cEXoOh7zE7
— i love women’s basketball #DiJonaiMIP (@nailyssahive) September 18, 2024
another one https://t.co/XgQmFUe7KU pic.twitter.com/4yTJGTKZcn
— ju. (@juloccd) September 18, 2024
This gal gets to it! https://t.co/PwHh206v1K pic.twitter.com/jvYwDrDRDl
— Real Lover -Part Time Florist (@c0mplexchick) September 18, 2024