OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
WNBA star Brittney Griner on Friday addressed a previous controversy involving her kneeling during the playing of the National Anthem before ball games.
Griner, a center for the Phoenix Mercury, said she stood for the playing of the anthem for her first game back after she was incarcerated in Russia for months last year.
Her first official game since being released by Russian authorities in December was Friday.
Throughout the 2020 season, in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis at the hands of the police, she and most other WNBA players — as well as pros in other sports — knelt during the anthem as a sign of protest.
“You have the right to protest, the right to [be] able to speak out, question, challenge and do all these things,” she told ESPN after the game when she was asked about why she stood instead.
“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,” she added.
“Just being able to hear my national anthem, see my flag, I definitely want to stand. 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,” she continued.
In December, shortly after returning home in a prisoner swap with notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, Griner spoke out for the first time after being freed.
“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,” she said on Instagram.
“I am grateful to each person who advocated for me, especially my wife, Cherelle Griner, my family, Lindsay Kagawa Colas and Casey Wasserman and my whole team at Wasserman, Vince Kozar and the Phoenix Mercury, the players of the WNBA, and my entire WNBA family, Terri Jackson, and the WNBPA staff, my Russian legal team Maria Blagovolina and Alex Boykov, the leaders, activists, and grassroots organizations, Gov. Richardson and Mickey Bergman of the Richardson Center, the Bring Our Families Home Campaign, Roger Carstens and the SPEHA team, and of course, a special thank you to President Biden, Vice President Harris, Secretary Blinken and the entire Biden-Harris Administration,” she continued.
“President Biden, you brought me home and I know you are committed to bringing Paul Whelan and all Americans home too. I will use my platform to do whatever I can to help you. I also encourage everyone that played a part in bringing me home to continue their efforts to bring all Americans home. Every family deserves to be whole,” she added.
“As I transition home to enjoy the holidays with my family, I want to acknowledge and thank the entire PISA staff and medical team at the San Antonio Fort Sam Houston Base. I appreciate the time and care to make sure I was okay and equipped with the tools for this new journey,” she continued.
“I also want to make one thing very clear: I intend to play basketball for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury this season, and in doing so, I look forward to being able to say ‘thank you’ to those of you who advocated, wrote, and posted for me in person soon. Love always, BG #42,” Griner concluded.
Bout, known as the “Merchant of Death,” is now said to be back with extremist groups in Russia since getting back home, Reuters reported.
