Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner recently returned to the court for the first time since her detention in Russia, playing 17 minutes in a preseason game against the Los Angeles Sparks. He finished with 10 points and three rebounds in a loss, but the result was irrelevant under the circumstances.
It was heartening to see Griner play basketball again after missing the entire 2022 season and spending nearly 300 days in Russian custody. She only returned to the United States in December via a prisoner exchange, and has had little time to try to find some normality and get back into shape before the season.
Getting the chance to suit up again meant a lot to the eight-time All-Star, as did hearing the national anthem.
“I’m grateful to be here, that’s for sure. I’m not going to take a day for granted.” Griner said After the match. “Hearing the national anthem, it was definitely different,” Griner said. “It’s like when you go to the Olympics, you’re sitting there, about to have gold put around your neck, the flags go up and the anthem plays, it sounds different… Being here today… means a lot.”
Griner’s comments differ from those he has made earlier in his career. During the 2020 season in the bubble, Griner wondered why the anthem was being played before games and protested not going outside to hear the anthem. The dating of him at the time came amid widespread protests in support of Breonna Taylor.
“I honestly feel like we shouldn’t be playing the national anthem during our season,” Griner said. “I think we should take that position. I don’t mean that as disrespectful to our country. My father was in Vietnam and was a law enforcement officer for 30 years. I wanted to be a police officer before basketball. I’m proud of my country.
“Personally, I don’t think it belongs in sports. When the national anthem was considered the National Anthem (in 1931), blacks had no rights at the time. It’s hard to disrespect a song that didn’t even represent all Americans.” when it was first made.”
The 2023 WNBA season will kick off on Friday, May 19. Griner and Mercury will be in action that night when they take on Sparks again.