WNBA star Brittney Griner shared her thoughts following her return to action for the first time since 2021.
The 32-year-old spent 10 months in Russian custody before her release last December in a high-profile prisoner exchange. The basketball star received a rapturous ovation from the Phoenix Mercury crowd and played 17 minutes in her first match back.
Although the two-time Olympic champion’s 10 points and three rebounds came in a 90-71 preseason loss to the Los Angeles Sparks, Griner described her emotions after being back on the court once again. "I didn't think I would be sitting here," she said post-game. "I didn't think I would be playing basketball this quickly.”
Griner was emotional as she stood and listened to the national anthem, an experience that took her back to competing at the Olympics. “Hearing the national anthem, it definitely hit different," she said. “It’s like when you go for the Olympics."
It didn't take Griner long to get back on the scoreboard as she scored her first two points inside the first minute of the game. It may take some time before Griner returns to her peak following a long layoff, but she is ready to embrace the challenges as Phoenix prepare to commence the regular season in Los Angeles next Friday.
"I didn't feel like I was gassed or dying. [I'm] knocking off those cobwebs, getting rid of the bad habits,” she added. “Not where I want it to be, but on the right track. We’re making the right moves. I didn't know how it was going to go, getting back into it. I'm grateful to be here, that's for sure. It feels good, you definitely feel appreciated. But I can't wait for the day where it's kind of like just basketball."
Since her return to the States, Griner has been using her platform to advocate for Americans who have been detained overseas. Since last month the basketball star has been working with the Bring Our Families Home campaign, which was established last year by family members of those wrongfully detained when abroad.
In April Griner claimed she would never play outside the US again unless she was representing her country at the Olympics. “I can say for me, I’m never going overseas to play again unless I’m representing my country at the Olympics,” she explained. “If I make that team, that would be the only time I would leave the U.S. soil and that’s just to represent the USA.”
Explaining why female basketball players would opt to play abroad, she added: “I’ll say this, the whole reason a lot of us go over is the pay gap. A lot of us go over there to make an income to support our families, to support ourselves, so I don’t knock any player that wants to go overseas and make a little bit extra money.”
