Brittney Griner makes WNBA season debut after being jailed in Russia

LOS ANGELES(AP) — Brittney Griner stood for the national anthem before herfirst regular-season WNBA game since being jailed in Russia.

Griner wasoutspoken for social justice in 2020 and didn’t take the courtduring the pregame anthem. But nearly a year behind bars in Russiachanged her.

“I wasliterally in a cage and could not stand the way I wanted to,” shesaid. “Just being able to hear my national anthem and see my flag,I definitely want to stand.”

Griner had 18points, six rebounds and four blocked shots Friday night for thePhoenix Mercury in a 94-71 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks.

“Not goodenough, didn’t get the dub,” said Griner, who nevertheless couldn’tbe down in defeat.

“I appreciateeverything a little bit more, all of the small moments, like, ‘Oh,I’m so tired I don’t want to go to practice today,’ that haschanged, honestly,” she said. “Tomorrow is not guaranteed, youdon’t know what it’s going to look like. I feel a lot oldersomehow, too.”

The32-year-old center’s immediate goal is to play an entire game bythe All-Star break in mid-July. She played 25 minutes Friday.

“I hope to beexactly where I want to be,” Griner said. “Just getting back to howI was before all this happened.”

Griner madean immediate impact against the Sparks. She fired a pass to MoriahJefferson, who hit a 3-pointer for Phoenix’s first basket. Grinergrabbed a couple of rebounds and scored twice in helping theMercury to an early lead.

“How good didshe just look? Unbelievable,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelberttold reporters at halftime.

For the firsttime since last season, Phoenix coach Vanessa Nygaard opened herpregame comments without announcing how many days Griner had beenjailed. Griner has been free since December when she was partofahigh-profile prisoner swap.

“Until theday we got the news in the morning that she was on her way home, noone thought that it was going to happen,” Nygaard said. “We did ourjobs probably with less joy than professional athletes do. It washeavy every day.”

Notanymore.

“Today is aday of joy,” Nygaard said. “An amazing, amazing thing hashappened.”

Griner andthe Mercury were greeted with a standing ovation when they came oncourt for pregame warmups, although the biggest cheers werereserved for the Sparks.

“Just takingit in but staying focused because at the end of the day I’m atwork,” Griner said. “Can’t get caught up in the moment. Kind offeel it, but put it to the side and feel it a little bitlater.”

Griner huggedVice President Kamala Harris and first gentleman Doug Emhoff asthey left the court after Harris was presented with a No. 49 Sparksjersey. Earlier, Harris posed for photos in the Mercury’s lockerroom.

“It was niceto be able to see her face-to-face and thank her for everything,”Griner said.

She pattedher heart and applauded in return during a brief video welcomingher back to the WNBA.

“It was niceto be back on the court for a real game,” she said. “The love fromthe fans when we came out was amazing. I definitely feel it.”

Griner scored10 points in 17 minutes in an exhibition loss to the Sparks lastweek. It was her first game action since she was arrested at aMoscow airport inFebruary2022after Russian authorities said a search of herluggage revealed vape cartridges containing cannabis oil.

“We broughtback this Black, gay woman from a Russian jail and America did thatbecause they valued her and she’s a female athlete and they valuedher,” Nygaard said.

“Just to bepart of a group that values people at that level, it makes me veryproud to be an American. Maybe there’s other people that thatdoesn’t make them proud, but for me, I see BG and I see hope and Isee the future and I have young children and it makes me reallyhopeful about our country,” the coach said.

Fans arrivingearly to Crypto.com Arena wore T-shirts with Griner’s name andjersey number on them. The 6-foot-9 Griner stopped to photo-bomb agroup of young girls posing courtside before the game.

Billie JeanKing and wife Ilana Kloss, who are part-owners of the Sparks, wereon hand for the opener, as was Magic Johnson, Pau Gasol, ByronScott, Robert Horry, Los Angeles Lakers coach Darvin Ham and SouthCarolina women’s coach Dawn Staley.

Since herrelease,Grinerhas used her platform to advocatefor other Americansbeing detained abroad. She was already an LGBTQ+ activist sincepublicly coming out in 2013.

“She standsfor so many people, so many different kind of people who can beundervalued in our society,” Nygaard said. “She stands with prideand confidence and has never once has shied away from who sheis.”

Grinerannounced in April that she is working with Bring Our FamiliesHome, a campaign formed last year by the family members of Americanhostages and wrongful detainees held overseas. She said her teamhas been in contact with the family of Wall Street Journal reporterEvan Gershkovich, who is being detained in Russia on espionagecharges.

“She’s anamazing person on and off the court,” Phoenix teammate Jeffersonsaid. “I think her energy just inspires everybody every single dayto show up and be the best version of themselves.”