Brittney Griner listed several factors for wanting to join the Dream.

The Atlanta Dream held their introductory press conference for their newest free agents: Brittney Griner, Brionna Jones, and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough. General manager Dan Padover noted that it was a historic day for not just the Dream but for the city of Atlanta. To make sense of that, Griner is probably the biggest free agent acquisition that Atlanta sports has ever seen, and it’s a big deal for a team looking to take the next steps in trying to contend for a championship.

Griner has been one of the best bigs in the league throughout her career, and now she gets to bring her talents to a team that was in need of help down low. Griner could have stayed at the place she called home for the past 10-plus years, or she could have gone to a team that was already loaded with extreme talent. Instead, Griner joined a young team that has shown over the past two years that they just need a piece or two to go to the next level.

There were a few reasons why Griner felt like the Dream was the right choice, and one [or three] of them were Rhyne Howard, Allisha Gray, and Jordin Canada, who were present at the press conference.

“Those three ladies right there, honestly,” Griner said. “It started with them. Everything they’ve shown me and my family, and meeting everyone else here. Every time you came to play here, you just felt the atmosphere, you felt it in the gym. I knew I wanted to be a part of that.”

Griner now finds herself on the East Coast, which is something that she and her family are already familiar with, and she’s excited to add to what the team has already been building.

“The level of play that’s already been here in Atlanta, and how the East is getting even better, I’m looking forward to merging into that and being a part of it. I’m really excited to be on this side,” Griner said.

Brittney Griner finds new home with Dream

© Diannie Chavez/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
A day before the press conference, Brittney Griner shared some more reasons why she decided to join the Dream.

“Every young lady on that team, they’re amazing people, and that’s one of the things that led me to the Atlanta Dream,” Griner said. “Just how each and every player, over the years, I’ve gotten to know a few of them really well and it’s always been genuine, it’s always been good. That was a big selling point after talking to Coach (Smesko) as well, you know, everything that we talked about.

“I grew up in the South, my wife grew up in the South. We kind of want our son to grow up in the South as well. It was a lot of different factors.”

The Dream will now have high expectations with the talent they have on the team, but they should be able to quiet the doubters and make some noise throughout the season.

Malik Brown is a multimedia reporter based in Atlanta who covers the Hawks and Dream for ClutchPoints. Malik has worked in entertainment and sports, and he specializes in the NBA and NFL.