As Brittney Griner prepares for her first WNBA game since 2021, she held a press conference on Thursday for the first time since her 10-month imprisonment in Russia for carrying cannabis oil vape cartridges at Moscow airport.
This was an emotional newscall for Griner, who emerged as a reporter who tearfully asked what kind of “resilience” Griner was counting on.
“See, you’re crying and now you’ve made me cry,” Griner joked in response.
“I’m no stranger to hard times,” he continued. “Honestly, just dig deep. You will face challenges throughout your life. It was pretty big. But I just, sort of, trusted my hard work, I got over it. I know this sounds petty, but it’s practically dead and just hard workouts – you just find a way to grind, just keep your head down and keep going.
The seven-time All-Star, Phoenix Mercury center, shared how he coped with being in jail for much of 2022 until his release in December.
“When I lost hope, looking at photos of my family brought back hope,” Griner said. “Just being able to see their faces did that for me. You look at the photos when you want to give up and it brings you back. You know what you’re waiting for – waiting to come back in a safe place with your family and loved ones.”
Griner was part of a prisoner swap between the United States and Russia that saw the former WNBA champion sent home to Texas in exchange for the release of Viktor Bout, a notorious Russian arms dealer being held at the United States Penitentiary in Marion. New York Times He reported that Bout was possibly the highest-profile Russian detained in the United States prior to his release.
Prior to his arrest, Griner played Russian Premier League basketball outside of the WNBA season. She said that all the trouble had spoiled the concept of the international game for her.
“I will never go abroad and play again unless I represent my country at the Olympics,” he said.