Baylor retires star center Brittney Griner’s No. 42 jersey

Two-time AP national player of the year and career blocks leader Brittney Griner’s No. 42 jersey was retired.

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She was wearing her Baylor letterman jacket as she took the court for the first time since her senior year 11 years ago.

The fans were all given yellow shirts with the number 42 emblazoned on the front CNN reported.

The jersey was raised to the rafters of the brand-new Foster Pavilion, the Bears’ new home court, where they began play just last month.

The ceremony before a game with Texas Tech included video highlights from her career. She was clearly emotional during the crowd’s reaction. She waved at them and patted her heart, though she did not speak, AP said.

The star center was too emotional to address the cheering crowd, but she delighted with an impromptu one-handed slam during a halftime “Dunk like Griner” contest, AP reported.

“Just full of emotion,” Griner told ESPN during an interview during the broadcast of the game. “As soon as (the jersey) started to go up, that’s when I started to break.” She said it meant everything to be honored and appreciated by the school she gave so much to during her career. She completed her Baylor degree in 2019, CBS News said.

The first of her consecutive Player of the Year awards came in the 2011-12 season when she led the Bears to a 40-0 record and a national title. In 2013 she played her final home games in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, adding three dunks in her final game at the Ferrell Center on campus. The Bears lost to Louisville in the Sweet 16 the next weekend, according to AP.

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