Brittney Griner opens up about her ‘caged’ time in Russia and admits she now ‘appreciates everything a little bit more’ on her return to court… as the WNBA chief calls her first appearance on US soil ‘incredible’
- Brittney Griner returned to WNBA court for the first time in two years on Friday
- After the game she talked about her time in a Russian prison and her return
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Brittney Griner admits she now “appreciates everything more” after returning to WNBA court five months after her release from a Russian penal colony.
The 31-year-old basketball player was convicted of drug charges in August and sentenced to nine years in prison in Russia. However, she was released on December 8 after President Biden approved an exchange, sending convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout back to Russia.
Griner played her first game in two years on Friday night and after stepping off the field, she opened up about her time behind bars and her decision to stand for the national anthem.
“I was literally in a cage and couldn’t stand the way I wanted to,” she said. “Just being able to hear my national anthem and see my flag, I definitely want to stand.”
Griner had 18 points, six rebounds and four blocked shots for the Phoenix Mercury in a 94-71 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks on Friday night.
Brittney Griner looked relaxed as she returned to WNBA court for the first time in two years
The 31-year-old, who was released from a Russian prison in December, shone for the Mercury
“Not good enough, didn’t get the copy,” said Griner, who nevertheless couldn’t be beaten.
“I appreciate everything a little bit more, all the little moments, like, ‘Oh, I’m so tired, I don’t want to go to practice today,’ that has changed, honestly,” she said.
‘Tomorrow is not guaranteed, you don’t know what it will look like. I somehow feel a lot older too.’
The 32-year-old center’s immediate goal is to be able to play an entire game against the All-Star break in mid-July. She played 25 minutes on Friday.
“I hope to be exactly where I want to be,” Griner said. “Let’s go back to how I was before all this happened.”
Griner immediately impressed the Sparks. She fired a pass at Moriah Jefferson, who hit a three-pointer for Phoenix’s first basket. Griner grabbed a pair of rebounds and scored twice to help the Mercury take an early lead.
“Just how good did she look? Unbelievable,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert told reporters at halftime.
Vice President Kamala Harris addressed the Phoenix Mercury team in the locker room
Griner shoots over Layshia Clarendon during Friday night’s game against the LA Sparks
WNBA star Griner admitted after the game that she now ‘appreciates everything a little bit more’
For the first time since last season, Phoenix coach Vanessa Nygaard opened up on her pregame comments without announcing how many days Griner was incarcerated.
“Until the day we got the morning news that she was on her way home, nobody thought it would happen,” Nygaard said. ‘We probably enjoyed our work less than professional athletes. It was tough every day.’
Not anymore.
“Today is a day of joy,” Nygaard said. “Something amazing happened.”