WNBA star Brittney Griner spoke to reporters Thursday for the first time since a nearly 10-month detainment in Russia, discussing her resilience in the ordeal and what her future in women’s basketball will — and won’t — involve.
“I’m no stranger to hard times,” Griner said in front of more than 100 people at Footprint Center, home of the Phoenix Mercury and the NBA’s Phoenix Suns. “Just digging deep. You’re going to be faced with adversities in life. This was a pretty big one.
“I just relied on my hard work to get through it.”
It was the 32-year-old’s first press conference since her release from a Russia prison. The Mercury center was arrested on Feb. 17, 2022, at Sheremetyevo International Airport near Moscow after Russian authorities said a search of her luggage revealed vape cartridges containing cannabis oil. Nearly six months later, on Aug. 4, she was sentenced to nine years in Russian prison. She was released on Dec. 8 in a prisoner swap.
Griner went on to say that there’s only one condition under which she will ever play overseas again.
“I’m never going overseas again to play unless I’m representing my country at the Olympics,” she said. “If I make that team, that would be the only time I would leave the U.S. soil. … The whole reason a lot of us go [overseas] is the pay gap. … As much as I would love to, you know, pay my light bill for the love of the game, I can’t.
“I think that’s probably one of the biggest reasons people are still going overseas, and that’s why I was there.”
Like many other WNBA stars, Griner headed overseas during the WNBA’s offseason to make more money. She was playing for Yekaterinburg-based Russian women’s basketball team UMMC Ekaterinburg at the time of her arrest.
Griner and the Mercury are now partnering on the “Bring Our Families Home” campaign, focusing on raising awareness and advocating for the immediate release of American hostages and wrongfully held detainees.
Other than appearances at the Super Bowl, the PGA Tour’s Phoenix Open and an MLK Day event in Phoenix, Griner had kept a low profile in the first few months following her return to the United States.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Women’s National Basketball Association
Phoenix Mercury
Brittney Griner
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