She was once the poster child of boycotting our country’s national anthem.
But on Sunday, she proudly displayed her love the United States — putting a patriotic bow on the 2024 Summer Olympics.
You probably know Brittney Griner as one of the U.S. citizens involved in the high-profile prisoner swap between the United States and Russia.
Griner was a star in the WBNA imprisoned for nearly 10 months in Russia after she was arrested on drug charges in February 2022.
Before that, she loudly spoke out about the national anthem in 2020 amid a summer of racial unrest following the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.
Griner said in 2020 that the WNBA shouldn’t play the national anthem, adding the league should “take that much of stand.” She also walked off the court before the anthem was played before a game that season.
But time can provide some much needed perspective.
Fast forward to today, Griner appeared to show just how appreciative she is of living in the United States, and realized just how much the national anthem means.
After spending months in a Russian prison, Griner was overcome with emotion during the playing of the national anthem after the U.S. Women’s Basketball Team captured the gold medal on Sunday.
Griner told Reuters after winning gold, “I didn’t think I would be here. And then to be here and winning gold for my country, representing when my country fought for me so hard to even be standing here. This gold medal is going to hold a special place among the other two I was fortunate to win.”
Teammate A’ja Wilson called Griner a “warrior” as she described the Phoenix Mercury center’s time with Team USA more than two years after her arrest abroad.
U.S. head coach Chery Reeve added that Griner was “grateful” to be with Team USA.
“She was so thankful to be here… I think we all should just keep checking on her because it’s unfathomable what she went through,” Reeve said.
Prior to her detainment and eventual return to the United States, Griner had advocated for the WNBA to stop playing the national anthem at games in 2020 and revealed that she planned to protest even if the league continued to play it, this according to the Washington Post.
She said her stance changed after her experience in Russia and after her return to the United States.
“You have the right to protest, the right to able to speak out, question, challenge and do all these things,” Griner told reporters in 2023, according to Fox News. “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. 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.”
Well said!
Here’s a final look at Griner’s ultimate journey of patriotism and perspective:
@basketballheaven23 BREAKING: During the Gold Medal Ceremony, Brittney Griner started as the National Anthem was playing. Thats because in 2020 in the midst of the Black Lives Matter protests Brittney Griner boycotted the National Anthem. But after being detained in Russia for 9 months Griner has changed her opinion on the National Anthem. #wnba #basketball #gold #olympics #cry #nba #nationalanthem #america #usa #france #women #president #biden #jail ♬ original sound – BasketballHeaven