Phoenix Mercury star Diana Taurasi matched a bid for a Brittney Griner signed shoe for a good cause this weekend.
During the Mercury’s “Rock the Pink Night” on Saturday, which featured two different week-long auctions, a signed pair of Griner kicks went for $4,500.
And with Taurasi matching the figure, that number went up to $9,000, with all proceeds going to the American Cancer Society. For the entire auction, the team raised $46,199 for the organization.
An extraordinary special item was included in our Rock the Pink Live Auction. A signed pair of Brittney Griner basketball shoes.
They went for $4,500. Diana matched it to total $9,000. All proceeds going to the American Cancer Society
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— Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) August 9, 2022
“Rock the Pink Night” is part of the Mercury’s annual initiative to raise awareness and funds for breast health.
Over the course of Saturday’s 76-62 win over the New York Liberty, the team honored cancer survivors, battlers and medical professionals in attendance, which also featured survivors in pregame player introductions and the national anthem.
The announcement of Taurasi’s $4,500 match came on the same day it was revealed that she would miss the remainder of the regular season due to a quad strain, which has kept her sidelined for each of Phoenix’s last two games.
Griner still remains imprisoned in Russia after receiving a sentence of nine years on Thursday for drug charges following the conclusion of her trial for bringing cannabis oil vape cartridges in her luggage when flying into Moscow in February to play basketball in the city of Yekaterinburg.
However, President Joe Biden and his administration through U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken are currently working on a possible prisoner exchange with Russian officials.