{"id":269,"date":"2025-03-24T15:59:19","date_gmt":"2025-03-24T15:59:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/sportssss\/?p=269"},"modified":"2025-04-20T16:00:13","modified_gmt":"2025-04-20T16:00:13","slug":"more-than-a-game-the-brittney-griner-comeback","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/sportssss\/2025\/03\/24\/more-than-a-game-the-brittney-griner-comeback\/","title":{"rendered":"More Than A Game: The Brittney Griner Comeback"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The audience fell silent when Brittney Griner returned to the WNBA court for the first time in May 2023. It wasn’t because of a close game or a buzzer-beater, but rather because everyone understood that this was more than just a basketball game.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Griner’s life had been completely disrupted about ten months prior when she was arrested for possessing cannabis oil at a Russian airport. She went from being a Phoenix Mercury star to becoming a symbol of injustice and global conflict ten months ago. It has been ten months since the world first recognized her as a person immersed in something far greater than herself, not simply as an athlete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When she finally returned and that determined look in her eyes, it was clear: she wasn\u2019t just coming back to play basketball. She was taking back control of her life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Griner wasn’t just any athlete prior to being imprisoned.  She was a world celebrity, a WNBA champion, and a two-time Olympic gold medalist. However, everything changed when the news broke that an American basketball star had been arrested. Once associated with triumphs and achievement, her name has come to represent social unrest.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Images of her behind bars and in handcuffs went viral. Her teammates supported her by wearing her number and writing letters from behind bars. However, life moved on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I felt like I was just a pawn,” she says after being freed. “And I probably was.” Her situation became, in many respects, a part of the political struggle between Russia and the United States. She became a target because of her celebrity, but she also became a potent symbol for something far greater.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Justice was called into doubt by Griner’s arrest.   Would the same treatment have been given to a male NBA player? Would he have been freed sooner or later?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf this were LeBron, things would\u2019ve moved faster,\u201d said Nneka Ogwumike, president of the WNBA Players Association. \u201cLet\u2019s be real, Brittney\u2019s a Black gay woman. That matters.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Griner never made an effort to fit in to a mold. Long before she was selected first in the draft, in 2013, she came out as openly gay. Even in difficult situations, she remained true to herself. And she was much more powerful because of her sincerity.   For her supporters and the basketball community, however, it also made her absence more sad and obvious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than just the numbers\u2014seventeen points, four blocks, and six rebounds\u2014marked Griner’s comeback to the floor. It was about everything else. The pure feeling and Her appreciation for simply being there.\u201cI\u2019m grateful just to be standing here,\u201d she said after the game. \u201cI missed everything. Even the travel days. Even the media stuff. I just missed this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her teammates started crying. Rivals came to give her love.   Supporters carried signs that said, “Welcome Home, BG.” It was a moment, not just a game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Griner didn’t simply go back to court. She gave everyone a reminder of why she is among the greatest players in history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since returning, Griner has advocated for larger causes, including mental health, jail reform, and wrongful detentions. She hasn’t avoided having difficult conversations. She’s leaned in more, if anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her narrative also brought attention to the ongoing battle for equal pay, media attention, and respect for the WNBA. Although league players have long voiced their concerns, Griner’s story forced the world to take notice, not just of her, but of all the players and the challenges they face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeople finally saw what we\u2019ve been saying for years,\u201d said Griner\u2019s teammate, Diana Taurasi. \u201cThat our lives, our voices, our game, they matter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The story of Brittney Griner is a powerful example of perseverance. Her return provided the WNBA with something it lacks: genuine visibility in a league full of talented players. Not because of a championship or a dunk that went viral, but rather because of a deeply human experience that surpasses basketball .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s possible that Griner’s greatest moment wasn’t all of the points or awards she received. It might be the simple but meaningful act of returning to that court, smiling at the spectators, and engaging in her favorite game\u2014on her terms, in front of the world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The audience fell silent when Brittney Griner returned to the WNBA court for the first time in May 2023. It wasn’t because of a close game or a buzzer-beater, but rather because everyone understood that this was more than just… Continue Reading →<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30516,"featured_media":247,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","wds_primary_category":0},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/sportssss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/269"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/sportssss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/sportssss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/sportssss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/30516"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/sportssss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=269"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/sportssss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/269\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":270,"href":"https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/sportssss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/269\/revisions\/270"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/sportssss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/247"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/sportssss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=269"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/sportssss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=269"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/sportssss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=269"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}