Featured Image Credit: Sipa US / Alamy. Associated Press / Alamy.
Topics: NBA, Basketball, US Sports, Russia
Jayden Collins
Topics: NBA, Basketball, US Sports, Russia
Basketball star Brittney Griner appeared at her first news conference since her near 10-month detainment in Russia.
The WNBA player was emotional at times when she discussed her adversities and revealed she had no intention of playing overseas again unless it was part of the Olympics.
The 32-year-old was arrested in Moscow in February 2022 after vape cartridges containing cannabis oil were found in her luggage.
Griner had travelled from New York to Russia during the WNBA off-season to play for Russian women’s basketball team UMMC Ekaterinburg.
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The Phoenix Mercury eight-time all-star centre saw her detainment extended three times before her trial started in July.
Griner then pleaded guilty to the charges of smuggling drugs into Russia, but insisted that she had no “intent” to “break the law.”
In December, her nine-year jail term was cut short after the United States conducted a prisoner swap for arms dealer Viktor Bout.
She has now spoken publicly for the first time about the ordeal, where she once again exhibited her incredible strength.
Griner said, as per USA Today: "It's hard. I come from a military family. … I have that mindset, no man left behind. … It hurts because no one should be in those conditions that I went through or that they are going through."
Adding: "You’re going to be faced with adversities throughout your life – this was a pretty big one.
"You find a way to just grind it out. You just put your head down and keep going, just keep moving forward. You can never stand still, and that was my theme. Just never be still. Never get too focused on the now, just look forward."
The Phoenix Mercury star says she was aware of the efforts to bring her home which gave her ‘a spark of life to keep holding on, keep fighting.’
Throughout her career she had played in the Russian Premier League in the offseason in order to supplement her salary.
However, she definitely stated ‘that she’s never going overseas to play again’ following her detainment.
She said: “A lot of us go over there to make an income to support our families. … That's why I was there.
"I'm hoping our league continues to grow and with as many people in here right now covering this, I hope you continue to bring exposure to us. … It's a shame we have to leave our families."
However, she says the only exception to the rule would be if she was ‘representing my country at the Olympics’.
Adding: “If I make that team, that would be the only time I would leave U.S. soil and that's to represent the USA."