In her first media look since being discharged from detention in Russia in December, Phoenix Mercury’s Brittney Griner declared her retirement from taking part in skilled basketball exterior the US., with a single exception although.
“I’m never going overseas to play again unless I’m representing my country at the Olympics,” mentioned Griner, who was arrested at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport in February 2022 after Russian authorities mentioned she was carrying vape canisters with hashish oil. “If I make that team, that would be the only time I would leave U.S. soil and that’s just to represent the USA.”
Over 100 folks attended Griner’s news convention Thursday at Footprint Center, the Mercury’s house area (in Phoenix, Arizona). As the seven-time All-Star and two-time defensive participant of the 12 months approached the microphone, she was greeted by loud cheers and rousing applause.
“First off, thank you all for covering me and all the exposure that you gave me and my family to get me home,” she mentioned. “I really appreciate it. That coverage was much needed.”
Griner turned emotional whereas answering a query about how she discovered the resiliency to make it by way of her ordeal.
“Just digging deep, honestly,” she mentioned. “You’re going to be faced with adversities throughout your life. This was a pretty big one, but I just kind of relied on my hard work, to get through it. I know this sounds so small but dying in practice and just hard workouts, you find a way to just grind it out. Just put your head down and just keep going, just keep moving forward.”
While Griner has no intention of becoming a member of an abroad workforce once more, she mentioned she understands why a lot of her fellow WNBA gamers might want to proceed doing so.
“The whole reason a lot of us go over is the pay gap. A lot of us go over there to make income to support our families, to support ourselves,” Griner mentioned. “So I don’t knock any player that wants to go overseas and make a little extra money.”
She added she hopes that will not be the case for for much longer.
“I’m hoping that our league continues to grow and with as many people in here right now covering this, I hope you continue to cover our league, bring exposure to us,” she mentioned. “I hope a lot of these companies start to invest in our craft, ’cause as you’ll see this season if you haven’t watched before, we have a really good craft in the WNBA.”
Source: www.dailysabah.com
