Brittney Griner changes stance on national anthem after release from Russia

Mar 12, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner in attendance of the Phoenix Suns game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Several months after being freed from Russia, WNBA star Brittney Griner has changed her position on the U.S. national anthem.

Griner made her official return to the court for the Phoenix Mercury on Friday in a game against the Los Angeles Sparks. She ended up scoring a team-high 18 points to go along with six rebounds and four blocks.

Brittney Griner had 18 PTS (7/9 FG), 6 REB, 4 BLK in 25 MINS during her return!@WNBA | #BGisBack 

pic.twitter.com/V9FGeSymWr

— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) May 20, 2023

What was also notable is that Griner stood for the national anthem prior to the game. Griner said that her experience being imprisoned in Russia helped change her perspective and added that she plans to continue standing for the anthem from here.

“You have the right to protest, the right to able to speak out, question, challenge and do all these things,” said Griner, per ESPN. “What I went through and everything, it just means a little bit more to me now. So I want to be able to stand. I was literally in a cage [in Russia] and could not stand the way I wanted to.

“Just being able to hear my national anthem, see my flag, I definitely want to stand,” the eight-time WNBA All-Star added. “Now everybody that will not stand or not come out, I totally support them 100 percent. That’s our right, as an American in this great country.”

Griner, 32, was arrested at a Russian airport in Feb. 2022 on drug smuggling charges after being caught with vape cartridges containing hashish oil. She spent nearly ten months imprisoned in the country (after being sentenced to nine years in jail) but was released this past December in a prisoner swap between the U.S. and Russian governments. Griner went on to sign a new contract with the Mercury, her WNBA team, to play again in the 2023 season.

Prior to her imprisonment, Griner had joined several other WNBA players in walking off the court before the playing of the national anthem to protest racial injustice and police brutality in America. Griner herself had also said at the time that she didn’t think the anthem should be played before games at all. But after going through her harrowing ordeal in Russia, Griner sees things a little differently now.

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