GRINER -WNBA SUPERSTAR- GRASPS : HONOURS

 

Phoenix : WNBA superstar Brittney Griner vowed never to play basketball overseas again last Thursday in an emotional first press conference since being released by Russia as part of a prisoner swap last year.

Speaking in Arizona as she prepares to resume her career with the Phoenix Mercury, Griner pledged to keep fighting on behalf of people wrongfully detained around the world.

Asked what her message would be for Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and US citizen Paul Whelan, both held in Russia, Griner replied :

''I would say to everyone that's wrongfully detained right across the world :

' Stay strong, keep fighting, don't give up'.

'' Just keep pushing. Because we're not going to stop fighting. We're not going to stop bringing awareness to everyone that's left behind right now.''

Griner teared up as she took questions about her ordeal, saying that the lessons learned during her basketball career had helped forge resilience during a spell behind bars that included time in a Russian penal colony.

'' You know, I'm no stranger to hard times,'' she said, her voice cracking with emotion.

'' Just digging deep.You're going to be faced with adversities throughout your life. And this was a pretty big one.

'' But I just kind of relied on my hard work and getting through it. I know this sounds so small, but dying in practice, and hard work-outs, you find a way to grind it out, just put your head down and keep going, keep moving forward.''

A two-time Olympic gold medalist, WNBA champion and LGBTQ trailblazer, Griner was arrested on drug charges at a Moscow airport in February 2022, against a backdrop of soaring tensions over Ukraine.

At the time of her arrest, Griner had been playing for a professional team in Russia, as a number of WNBA players do in the off-season.

She was accused of possessing vape cartridges with a small quantity of cannabis oil and sentenced in August to nine years in prison.

She pleaded guilty to the charges, but said she did not intend to break the law or use the banned substance in Russia. [AFP]