Brittney Griner’s basketball dreams came to a nightmare when she was locked up in a Russian penal colony.
Now that she’s back on American soil, people are curious if the WNBA player would ever go back overseas. BG spoke out to reporters for the first time since getting released on Thursday (April 27) in Phoenix.
During the “emotional” press conference, BG said she would never play overseas again. She said she would make an exception if she was representing America. BG said, “I’m never going overseas to play again unless I’m representing my country at the Olympics.” She continued,
“If I make that team, that would be the only time I would leave the U.S. soil, and that’s just to represent the USA.”
BG also spoke on WNBA players making the tough decision to play overseas during their offseason to make money to support themselves and their family. Take a look:
Brittney was detained in Russia for nearly one year after pleading guilty to drug charges. She was sentenced to nine years, but in a drawn-out, dramatic, high-profile prisoner exchange, Brittney returned home in December 2022.
In a social media post, Brittney said, “it feels so good to be home! The last 10 months have been a battle at every turn. I dug deep to keep my faith and it was the love from so many of you that helped keep me going. From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone for your help.”
Earlier this year, Brittney resigned with the Phoenix Mercury for one year according to a report. AP points out that Brittney last played for the Mercury in 2021 and helped the team reach the WNBA Finals. She was drafted in 2013 by Mercury and has played with them for nine seasons.
BG is releasing a memoir, NY Times reports it’ll be released sometime next year.