Brittney Griner is one of the WNBA players to speak out about the 2020 national anthem amid a summer of racial unrest following the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.
Griner said in 2020 that the WNBA should not play the national anthem, adding that the league should “take the same stance.” Before one game that season, she walked off the court before the national anthem.
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Gold medalists Alyssa Thomas and Brittney Griner joined bronze medalist Jade Melbourne of Australia on the podium. (Reuters/Evelyn Hochstein)
But since then, Griner has experienced turmoil. In February 2022, she was arrested on drug charges and subsequently imprisoned in Russia for nearly 10 months. position.
After the U.S. women’s basketball team defeated France at the Paris Olympics, Griner was seen with a gold medal around her neck and tears streaming down her face during the national anthem.
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Gold medalist Britney Griner holds an American flag. (Reuters/Evelyn Hochstein)
“I didn’t think I would be here,” she said of the 2024 Paris Olympics, via Reuters. “And then to come here and win a gold medal for my country and represent my country and fight for me and even stand here. This gold medal will hold a special place among the other two gold medals that I’ve been fortunate enough to win.”
A’ja Wilson called Griner a “warrior” when describing the Phoenix Mercury center’s time with Team USA, more than two years after his arrest abroad.
Team USA head coach Chiri Reeve added that Griner was “grateful” to join Team USA.
Gold medalist Britney Griner cried during the national anthem. (Reuters/Brian Snyder)
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“She’s grateful to be here…I think we should all continue to pay attention to her because what she’s been through is unfathomable,” Reeve said.
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