Brittney Griner will be back in the WNBA this season, once again playing with the Phoenix Mercury.

Griner, who was a free agent, re-signed with the team Tuesday.

The 32-year-old Griner had said she would return to Phoenix in a social media post in December, after she returned home from her 10-month detainment in Russia. Griner had been arrested at an airport just outside of Moscow on drug possession charges a year ago and was brought home in a dramatic high-level prisoner exchange in December.

“We missed BG every day that she was gone and, while basketball was not our primary concern, her presence on the floor, in our locker room, around our organization, and within our community was greatly missed,” Mercury GM Jim Pitman said. “We will continue to use the resources of our organization to support her, on and off the floor, and we are thrilled for her that she gets to return to basketball, which she loves so dearly. This is a special signing and today is a special day for all of us.”

The 6-foot-9 center last played for the Mercury in 2021 and helped the team reach the WNBA Finals. She averaged 20.5 points and 9.5 rebounds that season.

MLB

Chapman can earn up to $8.75M if he rebounds with Royals >> Aroldis Chapman can earn up to $8.75 million as part of his one-year contract with the Kansas City Royals if he regains a job as a regular closer.

The left-hander, who turns 35 on Feb. 28, is guaranteed $3.75 million under the deal announced Jan. 27.

Chapman can earn $2.5 million in performance bonuses based on games: $312,500 for 20 and for each additional five through 55. He also can earn $2.5 million based on games finished: $312,500 for 12 and for each additional four through 40.

He averaged 100.7 mph on his fastball in 2016 but dropped below 100 mph in 2018 and was at a career-low 97.5 last season. He was 4-4 with a 4.46 ERA last season for the Yankees, walking 28 and striking out 43 in 36 1/3 innings.

NBA

Nets give coach Jacque Vaughn multiyear contract extension >> Jacque Vaughn, who has coached the Brooklyn Nets into playoff position despite the trades of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving during another turbulent season for the franchise, has agreed to a multiyear contract extension.

Vaughn replaced Steve Nash early in the season and the Nets announced Tuesday they were extending his deal. Terms were not disclosed, though general manager Sean Marks said the Nets looked forward to Vaughn leading the team “for years to come.”

“Jacque has made an immediate and immeasurable impact on our entire organization since assuming the role of head coach earlier this season,” Marks said in a news release.

The Nets (34-24) are fifth in the Eastern Conference and have gone 32-19 under Vaughn, the fifth-best record in the league.

Soccer

ESPN’s ex-top exec describes how soccer’s World Cup was lost >> A former ESPN executive underscored how big money corrupted soccer, testifying in U.S. District Court that his company’s bid to televise the World Cup might have been sabotaged by two former Fox executives accused of bribing officials to undermine competing offers.

ESPN’s former president, John Skipper, told a New York federal court that ESPN and Univision had jointly bid $900 million — evenly split between the two TV behemoths — for U.S. broadcasting rights to the two most recent World Cups, including the recently completed one in Qatar.

Despite ESPN’s hefty bid for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, FIFA awarded U.S. English-language rights to Fox, which bid less.

MLS expands playoffs to 9 teams from each conference >> Major League Soccer is expanding its playoffs to include the nine top finishers from each of its two conferences, 62% of the league’s teams.

An opening “wild card” round will feature matches between the eighth- and ninth-seeded teams in the Eastern and Western conferences at the stadium of the higher seed.

The first round will be a best-of-three series, with the top finisher in each conference facing the winner of the wild-card match. The second seed will play the seventh, No. 3 will play No. 6 and No. 4 will play No. 5. The higher seed will host first, with the series moving to the lower seed for the second game, and then back to the higher seed’s home if necessary.

The conference semifinals, finals and MLS Cup championship will all be single games, hosted by the higher seed.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE >> Down by two goals after 14 minutes, defending champion Real Madrid came back to win 5-2 in a classic at Anfield and take a commanding lead into the second leg of the round of 16 matchup.

Vinicius Jr. and Karim Benzema scored two goals each to stun Liverpool and confirm the Spanish giant will take some stopping in its defense of the trophy.

If anything, this Madrid team looks more complete than the one that beat Jurgen Klopp’s team in last year’s Paris final. Yet this was a win that echoed the memorable comebacks that led to that record-extending 14th Champions League title. ... Victor Osimhen scored again Tuesday to help Napoli to a 2-0 win at Eintracht Frankfurt in the first leg of their last-16 matchup.