For the first time since being detained in Russia, Brittney Griner returned to the basketball court Saturday to face off against the Los Angeles Sparks, standing for the Star Spangled Banner alongside her Phoenix Mercury teammates.
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Prior to her incarceration, Griner’s infamous habit of kneeling during the anthem as a form of protest made waves in the sports world.
“Hearing the national anthem, it definitely hit different,” Griner stated.
“It’s like when you go for the Olympics, you’re sitting there, about to get gold put on your neck — the flags are going up and the anthem is playing — it just hits different. Being here today — it means a lot,” Griner poignantly told reporters after her first game since returning from imprisonment.
Griner’s appearance on the court was the first since game four of the 2021 WNBA finals, before her February 2022 drug possession arrest in Russia. Following President Joe Biden’s prisoner swap with Viktor Bout, a convicted Russian arms dealer, Griner signed a $165,100 year-long deal to return to her team earlier this year.
The 6-foot, 9-inch center played for 17 minutes during Saturday’s game, scoring 10 points with an additional three rebounds. Griner’s team, the Phoenix Mercury ultimately lost 90-71.
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