Brittney Griner says she'll 'never' play overseas again during emotional news conference

PHOENIX – Brittney Griner received a standing ovation as she entered her first news conference since returning home in December from being detained in Russia. Griner graciously put her hand over her heart as hundreds of reporters applauded her at Footprint Center.

"A little different than basketball press conference," Griner, 32, said with a smile as she looked around the standing-only room. "A lot of media in here today. … Thank you all for covering me and all the exposure you gave me and my family to get me home."

Although she jokingly compared her media availability on Thursday to any other she has conducted during her Phoenix Mercury career – "keep (questions) moving along like it's postgame" –  it was anything but the norm. Griner was upbeat, and, at times, emotional as she harnessed the spotlight to advocate for others wrongfully detained like herself.

"It's so easy to feel forgotten, to feel like no one is thinking of you," said Griner, who wore a Bring Our Families Home shirt. "It's hard. I come from a military family. … I have that mindset, no man left behind. … It hurts because no one should be in those conditions that I went through or that they are going through."

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She continued: "We're not going to stop fighting and we are not going to stop bringing awareness to everyone that's left behind right now."

Here are some revelations from Griner's first news conference as she prepares to return to the basketball court for the first time since 2021:

Griner aware of support while detained in Russia, gave 'spark of life'

Although she couldn't answer questions about her 10-month detainment in Russia due to security concerns, Griner spoke about how the ordeal has affected her mental state.

"You’re going to be faced with adversities throughout your life – this was a pretty big one," Griner said. "You find a way to just grind it out. You just put your head down and keep going, just keep moving forward. You can never stand still, and that was my theme. Just never be still. Never get too focused on the now, just look forward."

Griner said she was aware of the efforts to bring her home while in Russia and said the support "just does something to you. It gives you a spark of life to keep holding on, keep fighting."

"Those times where I was able to see what was going on, it definitely made me a little bit more comfortable," she said. “It made me have hope, which is a really hard thing to have, a really dangerous thing to have, because when it doesn’t work it’s so crushing."

Griner: 'I'm never going overseas to play again'

Griner definitively stated that she's "never going overseas to play again" following her detainment in Russia. She played for the Russian Premier League last offseason to supplement her salary, like many WNBA players, before she was arrested at an airport near Moscow in February 2022 after vape cartridges containing oil derived from cannabis were allegedly found in her luggage. She was freed in a prisoner swap Dec. 8.

"A lot of us go over there to make an income to support our families. … That's why I was there," Griner said. "I'm hoping our league continues to grow and with as many people in here right now covering this, I hope you continue to bring exposure to us. … It's a shame we have to leave our families."

There is one exception. The two-time Olympic gold medalist said she would go overseas if she's "representing my country at the Olympics." She added, "If I make that team, that would be the only time I would leave U.S. soil and that's to represent the USA."

Griner: Thought of never playing with Diana Taurasi again 'was killing me'

Griner is not only returning for her 10th season on the Mercury, she will be joined by teammate Diana Taurasi, who is set to enter her 19th season in Phoenix. 

"Who wouldn’t want to play with a walking fossil?" Griner said, poking fun of her 40-year-old teammate, before adding that Taurasi is "going to kill me" for the quip.  

Griner said she didn't know if she would ever to take the court again with Taurasi while being detained in Russia. "I was worried that she was going to retire on me when I was gone or I would miss it and that was killing me knowing that was a possibility," she said.

"I'm really thankful she's still here," Griner added. 

Taurasi and Griner have won a WNBA championship (2014) and two Olympic gold medals together (2016 Rio de Janeiro, 2020 Tokyo). Griner said she considers Taurasi to be her mentor: "How could I not when you have the GOAT next to you?" 

Ramp up to return has 'been a struggle,' but 'liberating' for Griner

"Coming back from basically doing nothing – not having any gym – getting back into it was hard. It’s still a process. Just the little things," Griner said. "Being an athlete you always want to pick up where you left off."

Griner missed the entire 2022 season and last played for the Mercury on Oct. 17, 2021, when the Chicago Sky beat Phoenix in Game 4 of the WNBA Finals.

"I wanted to be that player when I started back," Griner said. "Everybody told me to give myself grace and it's going to take time, but that's the hardest thing to do for a pro athlete. It's been a struggle, but it's liberating as well… getting back to my craft."

Griner and the Mercury will open the season on May 19 at the Los Angeles Sparks and Phoenix will host the Sky, a rematch of Griner's last WNBA game, on May 21 at home.

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