After being detained in Russia, Brittney Griner said at a press meeting on Thursday that she will “never go overseas again” to play basketball unless it’s for the Olympics.
The two-time Olympic gold winner spent almost 300 days in Russian custody after she was arrested in February 2022. She was charged with drug smuggling and given a nine-year prison sentence after cannabis oil was found in her luggage.
In December of last year, she was freed as part of a prisoner swap with Russia.
Griner had played on a Russian women’s basketball team for years when the WNBA season wasn’t going on. She was stopped at a Moscow airport on her way back to the US.
The 32-year-old player said that many women’s players go overseas for the money and that she wouldn’t criticise anyone for doing that. However, Griner hopes that the WNBA will continue to grow and that things will change.
“If I make that (US) team, that will be the only time I leave US soil, and that will be to represent the USA,” Griner said. “The pay gap is the main reason why a lot of us go over.
“Many of us go there to make money, to help our families, and to help ourselves. So I don’t think it’s bad if a player wants to go abroad and make a little extra money.
“But I hope our league keeps growing, and with as many people as there are here now covering this, I hope you’ll continue to write about our league and help us get more attention.”
Griner started her news conference by thanking the media for reporting on her while she was in jail in Russia and for helping her get back to the United States.
The first question made the Phoenix Mercury star cry, but she quickly got herself together.
“I’ve been through hard times before,” Griner said with a crack in her voice. “Just digging deep, honestly.
“Difficulties will come up in your life, and this was a pretty big one, but I just counted on my hard work to get through it.
“I know this seems like a small thing, but when you’re dying in practise or having a hard workout, you find a way to just keep going, keep your head down, and keep moving forward.
“You can’t stand still, and that was my thing. Just don’t stand still, don’t get too focused on the present, and keep looking ahead.”
Griner said that when she was in jail, she sometimes had to wait a little while to hear news, but she always knew what was going on.
Knowing that people were working for her “definitely made me a little bit more comfortable” and gave Griner “hope.” She told those who were still being held against their will to “stay strong.”
Griner said she knew for sure that she would be back in the WNBA this season. In February, she signed a one-year contract with the Mercury.
“I believe in me,” Griner said. “I think what I can do is good. I know I can reach any goal if I put my mind to it.
“I don’t mean to sound cocky, but I bet on myself. I have everything I need here to get to the point where I can play, so there was no question that I would be back in the WNBA and playing in Phoenix.
The WNBA season starts on May 19, but the Mercury play their first practise game on May 9.
Phoenix’s first regular-season game is on May 19 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles against the Los Angeles Sparks.
Griner said that when she was almost completely hopeless, pictures of her family helped her get through.
“Just seeing their faces was enough to convince me…. Griner said, “You know what you’re waiting for.” “You can’t wait to be with your family again.”
Griner said that the help she got for her mental health before she was taken into custody in Russia “helped a lot.”
“I’ve always encouraged people to talk to a counsellor, get therapy, or use any other tool that will help them find a good centre. I’m still doing that at the moment.
“That will always be true. So much happens in this world, and social media exposes us to so much of it. That’s a lot.”
Griner was asked if she thought it was unfair that she got to go home before other people who had been wrongly held.
“Of course I would have gone and gotten them out or done whatever else I could have done,” Griner said.
“It hurts, because no one should be in those conditions,” she said. “Without a doubt, no one should be in any of the situations I was in or that they are in.”
Griner played for the Mercury for the last time in 2021. She helped them get to the WNBA Finals, where they lost to the Chicago Sky.
Before that, the seven-time All-Star had been with the team since the No. 1 pick in the 2013 WNBA Draught. She had played all nine seasons with the team.
The first question made Phoenix Mercury star cry, but she quickly got herself together.
