Soon back on the basketball courts, after being imprisoned for 10 months in Russia, the 31-year-old player spoke publicly for the first time since her release.
Arrested in February 2022 at a Moscow airport with a vaporizer and liquid containing cannabis, a product banned in Russia, Brittney Griner lived a tumultuous year 2022. Released in December, after 10 months of incarceration, the American basketball player is now beginning her return to normal life. And while the WNBA resumes in three weeks, the one who is also a prominent figure in the LGBT + community, spoke at a press conference on Thursday, April 27, for her first public speech since her release. She mentioned the follow-up she would like to give to her career in the field, but also as a spokesperson for prisoners detained abroad.
The interior of the Phoenix Mercury thus wanted to renew its support for the detainees wrongly convicted abroad according to her. “JI would say to all who are wrongfully detained: stay strong, keep fighting, don’t give up.“Aware of the difficulty of holding on locked away from home, Griner tries to send a message of resilience.”keep believing it, she continued, because we are not going to stop, we are not going to stop fighting, we are not going to stop drawing attention to all those who are currently far from us.“
Moved, the American admits to having drawn on the hardships faced in her career “You know, I went through difficult times (…) Throughout life, we face adversity. And this one was strong.“A career at the highest level which also certainly helped her, when it came to staying mentally strong.”Staying awake, finding a little routine and sticking to it as best you can, that’s what helped me.“
As she writes a book about her detention, which should be released in 2024, Brittney Griner will find the courts for the resumption of the WNBA championship on May 19 in Los Angeles. The American has indicated that she will no longer play abroad, except for matches with Team USA. “I say it clearly: I would not go to play abroad anymore, except when I represent my country at the Olympic Games. If I am selected, this will be the only reason for me to leave the American territory.“Since 2015, the 2014 WNBA champion had been playing in Russia in Yekaterinburg, once the season ended in the American league.
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