Dream’s Brittney Griner makes WNBA history

With 4:38 to play in the fourth, Sky center Kamilla Cardoso looked for a second-chance layup. But Griner timed Cardoso’s attempt to go up for the shot and swatted it away.

The block was Griner’s third of the game and the 823rd of her career. She now sits 54 blocks away from Polish and former Sparks center Margo Dydek, who has 877 career blocks.

“A lot of the accolades or stats really don’t matter too much to me,” said Griner, who also had 7 points and four rebounds. “But if there’s one, it’s the blocked shots.

“So to pass Lisa, one of the greats, to do it, I’m honored to have that. I’m honored to be in that second place. That one meant a lot to me. So very happy about that. Got a few more to go before I reach Margo, though. So I’m still chasing.”

While Griner might be chasing the No. 1 spot on the all-time blocks list, she has cemented her name in Olympic history.

Before tipoff of Friday’s game, Griner received her ring for winning gold at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

“Yeah, to get the ring tonight that was special to me,” Griner said. “I mean, I’ve said it before, my situation, you know, I didn’t know if I would even be, you know, in the U.S. at that time, let alone my getting to represent my country again.

“So, that meant everything to me. My dad represented this country over overseas before, and it’s just a special thing for my family and for me, especially so, and to do it here and having teammates with me and family, it was really special.”

Dream coach Karl Smesko agreed.

“I mean, obviously she’s one of the best players in WNBA history, to be second all-time in blocks,” Smesko said after the game. “And then, on a day where she was being honored for helping us win a gold medal. So it’s a big day, and I’m really happy for her.

“She’s been nothing but great since she got to Atlanta. I mean, her leadership, she kind of calms everybody down whenever things start to get a little jumpy. So it’s nice to have somebody with that kind of experience on the team.”